Hear My Heart
by Cupid's Bride
Summary: The 50th girl who dumped him changed her mind... would he accept her or turn her away?
1. Goodbye, Takezono

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot. The characters aren't mine, Neither do the supplies, just my mind Heaven knows what I've got! So please don't arrest, Poor little ol' me. The devil knows I'm bored! So, please, LET ME BE! (To write this story for everybody!!!)  
  
Author's Note: Hi! It's my first time writing a Slam Dunk fic. Drop me a line and tell me what you think of my story! (And please be gentle with criticisms!)  
  
Introduction: This story is about Yoko, Sakuragi and Haruko. I made my mind who would end up with Sakuragi, but let's see if I get to change my decision about it. Yohei, Sakuragi Gundam, Rukawa ::drool:: (sumimasen!), Shohoku regular cast/team, Oda, Hikoichi, and Sendoh also star here.  
  
This story takes place right after the match with Takezono. Please pretend Yoko didn't go with Oda to the beach with that lock.  
  
Summary: The 50th girl who dumped him changed her choice. Would he accept her, or would he turn her away?  
  
Last thing: Names are in Japanese format, last then first, okay? And please forgive me, I don't know Yoko's last name, nor the Takezono coach! Someone please tell me! Onegai!!!!!!!! So for this chapter, while most have their first and last names, her last name is going to be made up.  
  
VERY LAST THING: {ba dump} = beating heart. AND, I am working on the title!  
  
VERY, VERY LAST THING: I revised this chapter, slightly. But, it is quite important, as I added a few stuff.  
  
Let's start!  
  
Hear My Heart  
  
Chapter One: Good-bye, Takezono  
  
THUMP!  
  
'Oh no!' Shinatori Yoko thought from the sidelines as her friend, Sakuragi Hanamichi, hit the wall. 'I hope he isn't hurt.' Her vision was no longer at her Oda, but at her former suitor.  
  
No one made a sound as he shook his head, most likely to erase the pain.  
  
And then, the sound of clapping was heard. The crowd turned to the direction of the sound. The Takezono coach was clapping.  
  
For what? Everybody wondered, confused.  
  
Then suddenly, another set of claps joined the first one. Akagi Haruko understood.  
  
A smile formed on Yoko's lips as she understood and started to clap herself. 'That was a great try, Sakuragi Hanamichi.'  
  
Then everybody else followed. With tears forming in her eyes and flowing down her face, she thought again, 'Sakuragi. What a guy!' Visions of him from earlier started to creep in her mind. Getting rebounds, chasing the ball, blocking and guarding Oda... and having fun. 'He's really having fun. Just like Oda-kun used to.'  
  
Her subconscious butted in, 'He's having more fun than Oda-kun did. Now that I just noticed, he's rather cute when he's concentrated and determined to make something happen.'  
  
And the conscious mind agreed, then doubled back. 'This can't be! I can't believe I think he's cute!'' [Author butts in: Here we go, denial galore.]  
  
Shohoku won the game, without her further observation because she thought about one red head. The self-proclaimed genius, Sakuragi Hanamichi. And when she nearly got knocked over by a friend, she clenched a fist and felt the need to do something, foolish, at the moment.  
  
~*~ Outside~*~  
  
Anzai-sensei and Inoue-sensei talked after the game about how well each other played, and thanking each other for giving them a lesson to be learned.  
  
"Our first year point guard, Oda, has the driving passion to win games and make it to the nationals." Inoue-sensei told the wise coach. "However, none of my players, not even Oda- kun has the spirit Sakuragi Hanamichi has... You're very lucky to have him on your team." He finished then thought, 'And more training would prove that abilities beyond imagination lie in that boy. I can feel it. Anzai-sensei, you truly are lucky.'  
  
Team Shohoku just came out with Sakuragi all hyped up about being the savior of the game. Haruko was leading him on by saying he did absolutely amazing.  
  
~Little Insert~  
  
Just outside the Takezono locker rooms, Yoko was congratulating Oda, but looking terribly distracted.  
  
The Takezono captain said, "Gather!"  
  
And the team did.  
  
"We played well out there. I hope everybody learned from this practice game, it was great playing Shohoku. Now let's all go and congratualte them outside, once more." With that, they all went out.  
  
~*~Back Outside~*~  
  
Yoko brightened up as she saw Sakuragi rejoicing. "Sakuragi- kun!" She ran up to him, causing Oda to look up from his sullen state (an after effect of losing) and frown at his girlfriend and his rival.  
  
"Yoko-san." Sakuragi immediately reddened.  
  
"You were great out there! I'm not kidding!" She went on excitedly. {Ba dump}  
  
"Ai ai ai ai! That wasn't my best performance!" {Ba dump}  
  
"It's all the same to me. Even if it wasn't your best, you were really good." {Ba dump, ba dump}  
  
He scratched his head, "Well, thank you, Yoko-san. I can't blame you for thinking that way... I am gifted after all."  
  
She shook her head, laughing slightly. "You're a funny guy, Sakuragi-kun! Who knows? Maybe you are."  
  
"What are you saying, Yoko?" Oda butted in, looking pretty pissed, and jealous.  
  
"Oh! Oda-kun!" She retreated back.  
  
"I didn't know you were friends." He glared at Sakuragi who didn't back down and looked defiant.  
  
"Well, we all did go to the same junior high, and yes we are friends, ne, Sakuragi-kun?" Yoko looked at the other guy, not really knowing why Oda was angry at her friend.  
  
"Uh, yes. Of course we are." He answered, shocked.  
  
"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!!!" The Sakuragi Gundan chorused.  
  
Then, the infamous head butt.  
  
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!  
  
Four bodies lay on the ground.  
  
"Excuse my friends." Sakuragi told the other two and everybody else who had to witness the spectacle. He had to shut them up before they make some stupid comment.  
  
"It's not a problem. Don't worry about it." Yoko waved it off.  
  
Then came Akagi's booming voice. "Oi! Sakuragi, you better hurry up or we'll leave you!"  
  
He was almost going to protest when her voice interrupted, "Well, you better go, Sakuragi-kun! Hope we meet again someday!" Then she turned red slightly.  
  
Sakuragi shook his head. No way. She couldn't have blushed just now. Still, he grinned and said, "Of course. I'm pretty sure Oda wouldn't want to miss a rematch with this tensai. I'll see you around, Yoko-san!" He ran after the team, who all for once didn't make some nasty comments to him.  
  
"Sou da ne, Sakuragi-kun!" She called back, waving at the startled guy.  
  
~*~  
  
See him around? Oda punched the wall. How could his girlfriend do that to him? Sakuragi Hanamichi was his freaking rival! Surely she knew that!  
  
But then again, their relationship had been strange since the time he had struck her with his hand and ran away. Come to think of it, she acted as if it never happened the next day. And he never did say sorry. Could it be because of that?  
  
No... it wasn't that. He knew something happened on that court that day. That's why she argued back. That's why she told him not to be jealous because she was going out with him, not Sakuragi.  
  
But she didn't say that she loved him... nor did she not say that she didn't like Sakuragi. And he was sure they weren't friends until the time they saw each other again while she waited for him before the game!  
  
Nevertheless, she was moving to Shohoku. How could she do that so easily?  
  
Maybe because your fans decided to turn against her the moment you yelled at her! His brain shouted. And now it's too late... she's going to fall for that loser, and Oda knew it in his gut.  
  
~*~  
  
"Was it right to make such a fast decision like that?" Yoko asked herself. "Leave Takezono, and transfer to Shohoku?" She folded her Takezono uniform that she was to donate to someone else.  
  
It was her instinct at the moment she saw Oda in his rage mode. The one he was in when he hit her, made her cry and when he didn't consider her feelings.  
  
Sometimes, she really felt he loved basketball more than her. And it was drifting them apart. And it broke their relationship the moment he yelled, "WELL YOU ARE ALWAYS HOLDING ME BACK FROM MY DREAMS!!"  
  
Didn't he realize she supported him all the way? There really was no reason for her to study at Takezono except him. And there were those girls who followed his every beck and call, who insulted her. And he made no move to defend her. And she was his girlfriend.  
  
"Well, you're not anymore." Yoko reminded herself.  
  
It is better this way... she decided this. Shohoku was really close to her house. Going there from now on would be a big help on her allowance, and sleeping habits. No more waking up at 5 in the morning to catch two trains to Takezono, and no more high tuition fee.  
  
Then, she recalled something, and smiled. "Looks like Sakuragi-kun and I will see a lot of each other from now onward." She was happy, knowing she had a friend, or even five in Shohoku. After all, whoever is friends with Sakuragi, is friends with his Gundan!  
  
And on that happy note, she slept peacefully that night, looking forward for the coming Monday.  
  
Sayonara, Takezono...  
  
~*~  
  
Sakuragi thought back to the afternoon. He rarely gets pensive such as this. But Yoko... Shinatori Yoko confused him today. She was so carefree and bright when she talked to him without that Oda. She was, content. He couldn't find another word to describe her behavior. Then Oda came and she tensed. He noticed. Youhei did too... No matter how loony their outward appearances are, they are deep thinkers. All of the Sakuragi Gundan are.  
  
Did something happen back there?  
  
Nevertheless, he felt oddly complete when she told him she'd see him around.  
  
Could it be that he's falling for her again and his mind is playing tricks on him again?  
  
No... his heart was broken once. He won't have it broken again. Not by her for a second time.  
  
Because... when he fell for Shinatori Yoko, he fell too deep. Too deep that Spring didn't come to him until Akagi Haruko entered his life.  
  
BUT.... But... what he didn't know is that he never fully got over her... an evidence that he never did is when he picked a fight with Oda before the game. Another evidence would be that he became lifeless and didn't look for another girl so quickly. Haruko came to him. That didn't count.  
  
And he didn't know he will never fully get over Shinatori Yoko.  
  
Not after she had become more beautiful... not after she said she was friends with him... not after she said he could be gifted.  
  
And not after his heart was given one last hope... the hope that maybe his mind is not playing tricks on him.  
  
~*~  
  
Youhei was thinking along the same lines as Sakuragi.  
  
He just chuckled after coming up with nothing but, "Looks like Sakuragi is still in love with Yoko." Then, he stopped. He recalled getting a vibe that Yoko was nervous while talking to his friend. He stopped and thought back.  
  
"Looks like there's a change of heart. Things are going to get interesting..." And while envisioning events that may happen, he fell asleep.  
  
~*~  
  
Haruko was doubtful. 'How come Sakuragi-kun was staring off into space on the way back home? And who was that girl?'  
  
She recalled the walk and the ride. She complimented Rukawa on being great on the court, and as usual, he shrugged it off, said it was nothing. Sakuragi didn't even try to fish for a compliment from her, nor get jealous of Rukawa. At least, that's what she overheard from Fujii and Matsui.  
  
  
  
~*~Flashback, Haruko's POV~*~  
  
"Sakuragi-kun?" I asked the red head sitting beside me. "Are you alright?" He was staring of into space again, and I was complimenting on his great attempts in saving the ball from going out of bounds. And that he played really well.  
  
He started laughing and said, "Of course the tensai is alright! I am just resting that's all!"  
  
I just smiled at him, letting the subject go, and just started praising his performances when I noticed he was talking quietly with Youhei and both had pensive looks on their faces. Looking around, I saw that my brother and the team are resting, and the Sakuragi Gundam talking in hushed voices. WHAT was going on? The team, she could understand. But, this isn't the Sakuragi and Sakuragi Gundam she knew!  
  
I turned to my friends, Matsui-chan and Fujii-chan, to comment on this. They also were talking in hushed tones that I couldn't hear what they were saying. I knew they were talking about me. Why else would they be whispering if they weren't? Sometimes I wonder if they really are my friends sometimes. I closed my eyes, as if sleeping and concentrated on trying to hear what they are saying. After all, shutting one of the senses can heighten another. And I want to make my hearing sense stronger.  
  
~*~ End of Haruko's POV ~*~  
  
"I heard from Ookusu-kun that the girl Sakuragi-kun was talking to is the girlfriend of his junior high rival." Matsui said.  
  
"Kind of like Rukawa-kun?" Fujii asked, in understanding.  
  
"Yes." She lowered her voice that even Haruko couldn't hear with her 'heightened hearing sense.' "She's the 50th girl who rejected him. And, Takamiya-kun said that it seemed to him that Sakuragi-kun didn't fully get over her."  
  
"That's too bad! No wonder he wasn't giving Haruko his 1000 percent attention!"  
  
"That and not fishing for compliments, or getting jealous when she paid Rukawa a compliment!"  
  
They both looked at Haruko and talked in undistinguishable soft voices.  
  
"I noticed something, though." Fujii told Matsui.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Haruko is bothered by this, and Yoko-san blushed when she bid Sakuragi-kun farewell."  
  
Matsui tried to recall the event. "Now that you mention it, you're right. She was slightly nervous and she blushed."  
  
"You don't think...?" Fujii trailed off.  
  
"Maybe. Maybe." Matsui replied.  
  
Ding, dong! "Shohoku stop! Thank you for riding with us today."  
  
And all of them got off the subway.  
  
~*~End Flashback~*~  
  
  
  
Oddly, she felt disturbed by the girl, talking to Sakuragi- kun. Oddly, she felt bothered when Sakuragi-kun wasn't paying attention to her. [AN comment: More like, she was bothered when he wasn't hanging onto her every word!] Oddly, she felt jealous.  
  
She shook that thought out of her head. She wasn't interested with Sakuragi Hanamichi. He is just her friend.  
  
He is just a friend.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
THANKS FOR EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED BEFORE!!!!! Here's the teaser for Chapter 2; Sunday Morning:  
  
Little did she know someone is doing their morning jog too! [Author Butts In: don't wanna tell who, exactly! Though, you'd probably guess right.]  
  
She probably made the mistake of just looking on for a minute.  
  
  
  
[Won't tell who is "she"!]  
  
STAY TUNED FOR CHAPTER 2!!! Coming up soon!!! 


	2. Sunday Morning

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot. The characters aren't mine, Neither do the supplies, just my mind Heaven knows what I've got! So please don't arrest, Poor little ol' me. The devil knows I'm bored! So, please, LET ME BE! (To write this story for everybody!!!)  
  
Author's Note: Hi! I see you guys liked the fic. I'm glad. Thank you very much for your reviews. AND NOTE THAT I SLIGHTLY REVISED CHAPTER ONE! Look out for newly added scenes near the end!  
  
Rants: I also see you guys didn't like Haruko too much. Watching the second, fourth and fifth episodes again made my blood boil. I'd say we're all of the same boat here. BUT! But, that doesn't mean I favor Yoko any more than I favor her. After all, we all know she rejected him FIRST. Plus, it didn't show in the series that Sakuragi was rejected for a one- sided love with Rukawa! No matter how ANNOYING she is, give her a chance, ne?  
  
=( : No one knows Yoko's last name! Come to think of it, I forgot Oda's last/first name too! Oh well... they'll all be made up (until some kind soul tells me!).  
  
Where we left off: Yoko is excited for Monday, the day she goes to Shohoku. Sakuragi and Youhei ponder the afternoon happenings with the latter coming to a conclusion that Hanamichi is still hooked on Yoko. Haruko is slowly falling for her dear friend, whether she likes it or not.  
  
Last thing: ENJOY!  
  
VERY LAST THING: Uhhh, here... I redid an episode. I'll comment on it later to "surprise" some people.  
  
Hear My Heart Chapter 2: Sunday Morning  
  
After a refreshing sleep, Yoko woke up to the rays of sunlight pouring down her window. Having used to wake up at 5 in the morning, 6 AM is a no biggie on Sunday.  
  
Before, she would've woken at the same time she did during weekdays and head over Oda's house and help him train, build stamina and watch him have fun. Yes, she'll call him Oda from now onward.  
  
Now, she doesn't know what to do. All of her chores were done the night before, and had no more to do. She has no homework as she just transferred to her new school. Looking around her room, she found she didn't need to clean it.  
  
'You could jog. It's no use wasting a perfectly good running shape just because you have no one to help train or be with.' Her instinct told her.  
  
Her reason agreed. With that in mind, she opened the curtains of her window and the window itself to find a good impression of that Sunday morning.  
  
Breathing the fresh air in, she exclaimed, "What a nice day." And it indeed is. Spring is definitely still in the air. Summer might just be around the corner, but the flowers in bloom are extremely breathtaking. Not to mention the sun that just rose from its bed not too long ago. Casting its golden tresses upon dewdrops just below her room, making the white roses, blue forget-me-nots and their leaves in the gardens shine like diamonds.  
  
The smell of her mother's cooking from downstairs filled her nose and prompted her to go to the bathroom, wash her face and get ready for jogging.  
  
She went back to her room and opened her cabinet, surveying the contents. Getting out of her pajamas, and dirty underwear, she donned a sports bra and clean underwear. She decided to wear a black shirt and red shorts.  
  
Going to her dresser, she fished out a white stretch headband and a white scrunchie. She brushed her hair and put it up in a tight ponytail, then put the headband on to keep stray locks away from her face. She looked around for her wristbands. She found her favorite pair. The red, white and black Nike ones. Oda didn't like it, it wasn't their school colors. She never got to wear them because of that. [ABI: Actually, he didn't like the r-w-b Nike wristbands because it was Shohoku school colors. Let's say he has a list of every school's school colors. I know I do!]  
  
She sighed upon remembrance. The things I do for that guy. No, correction... the things she did for that guy.  
  
But, now she can wear them all she wants. She could've worn them before too. Before she could put anymore thoughts on why she didn't she forced herself top break away from the thoughts. That was past. It is the past. It's a new day. Not to mention, it's Sunday. With a new day comes a new week. With a new week comes a new beginning, especially since she just transferred to Shohoku.  
  
Then, the image of Sakuragi slowly creeped in her mind. She giggled. She'll forever engrave his surprised look tomorrow when he sees her dressed in a Shohoku fuku. She'll be waiting for that occasion.  
  
Then, her stomach growled a bit. "I'm hungry!" It said.  
  
Again she giggled. Donning the Nike wristbands and grabbing a pair of white low cut socks, she made her way downstairs much to her mother's and father's surprise.  
  
"Ohayo!" She greeted them with a beautiful smile on her face. "I'm going for a morning run, but mind if I eat something first?"  
  
"Sure. No problem, honey." Yui, Yoko's mother, answered while setting the table for three. "What would you like to eat?"  
  
"I smelled bacon and eggs from upstairs. I could eat those."  
  
"And toast?"  
  
"Yes, please. Thank you."  
  
Yui put two long strips of bacon, a toasted sunny-side-up and toasted bread on Yoko's plate before proceeding to get her husband's and her own.  
  
Yoko said her grace before wolfing her breakfast down. Her parents looked on in amazement. She never ate this fast when she ran with that former boyfriend of hers, Takeishi Oda.  
  
When she finished and hurried to wash her plate, then throw her chopsticks and grab a water bottle, her father voiced out, "What's the rush?"  
  
She just smiled and answered while she put on her socks and running shoes, "It's a wonderful day, Otousan. I don't intend on wasting it!"  
  
"Well, take it easy, okay? Don't lose your breakfast so early."  
  
She tested the tightness of her shoes and told her father, "I will. I'm off!" And she walked quickly to warm her muscles up before stretching them out.  
  
"Take care!" Her parents hollered back.  
  
[ABI (Author Butts In): LOL. 'Holler back!' It's an unusual term for parents to do, don't you think? Sendoh-sama, do you remember from last year? LOL!!! Sorry, continuing!]  
  
She walked down the sidewalk for a minute and reached a nearby park where kids play in the afternoon. She set herself on the concrete floor and started stretching her legs, arms and cracking her back. Legs together, she reached for her feet for eight counts. She took her right leg in, and reached for another set of eight counts. She switched legs. Then she did a 'butterfly' for eight counts.  
  
"Oh that feels good." She said to herself after finishing her first set of warm ups. She stretched out more and moved on to the next set of warm up. She rolled her head around and round in eight counts then switched the direction, getting the kinks out of her neck. Then, she stretched her left arm cross in front, then right arm cross in front, both counts one to eight. She moved on stretching her left and right arms above her head for eight counts each arm. Then, she rotated her hips clockwise for eight counts then counterclockwise for another eight. She moved on to rotate her knees the same way and then bended up and down ten times. She took her right ankle and rotated it the same way as she did her neck, hips and knees. The same was done to her left ankle, completing her second set of warm up exercises.  
  
She started on the second set with reaching up as high as possible, then reach down to the ground. She moved her feet quite apart from each other then reached to her left before moving to her right. She repeated the pattern, left-middle-right-and-back afterwards ten times before moving on to the next. She stretched forward, with her right knee bended and the other leg straight for eight counts. She then did the same thing with the left. Then she stretched to her right... then to her left.  
  
At last, she finished everything. She can run. She started power walking. Looking at her sports watch, she set the timer for two minutes then, she would proceed to a two minute run.  
  
"Beep." And she was off.  
  
Little did she know someone is doing their morning jog too! [ABI: don't wanna tell who, exactly! Though, you'd probably guess right.]  
  
~*~  
  
Haruko panted after running fifteen blocks straight. She stopped for a moment, gasping for much needed breath and rest. "Oh man! It is really different when you play a sport. I could've run further in middle school!" She groaned. She thought back to the old days when she trained with her brother and ran five miles at least, without stopping for about two miles. She could barely get a mile without stopping nowadays. Just before she reminisced the times when she had to do a ton of drills in basketball practice, when she slipped down the waxed floor half the time, [ABI: Hee hee hee! I know, I'm mean!] she heard something in the courts.  
  
Bounce! Bounce! Bounce!  
  
"What?" She looked inside the basketball court. She saw Sakuragi practicing lay ups.  
  
She probably made the mistake of just looking on for a minute.  
  
~*~  
  
Dribbling the ball up to near the ring, Sakuragi jumped and tried the 'common shot'. "Common shoot!"  
  
It didn't even touch the board. [ABI: Here, imagine me going 'boing'!!! As in, falling out of my chair and sweat-dropping! Don't you feel like that too?]  
  
"Shimatte!" Sakuragi growled. Clenching his fists, he went to retrieve the ball. Still growling, he didn't notice someone was already holding the ball.  
  
"Practicing hard, Sakuragi-kun?" Yoko greeted him with a smile. "Ohayo!"  
  
"Yo-, Yo-, Yoko-san! O- o- ohayo!" He stammered. Laughing nervously, he said, "Not really, Yoko-san! Geniuses don't need practice!" Then, his face dropped upon seeing her little frown of slight reprimand that says, 'Oh, Sakuragi-kun.' Which was she was thinking anyway. "Yes. I can't seem to get the common shot. All I could do is run, and my shooting skills are still a bit... a bit low." His voice got softer as he reached the end, hung his head.  
  
"That's okay Sakuragi-kun." She caught his chin. "You're a beginner aren't you? Everybody, as a beginner goes through a tough time learning something. Even geniuses do." She smiled at him. "But it will be alright. I'll help you train and we'll get you doing lay up shots in not time! So, shall we start?"  
  
Sakuragi, being himself, asked her, "What is a lay up shot?"  
  
She gaped at him. Then she thought, 'Oh yeah, he calls it differently.' "Sakuragi-kun, the shot you're just doing right now is called a lay up shot."  
  
"Of course!" He has his chin is his hand. "This genius would store that for future reference. I, Basket Man Sakuragi, will always learn any new information."  
  
Yoko giggled. "Oh, Sakuragi-kun. So, shall we get going?"  
  
"Hai!"  
  
And so it started.  
  
~*~  
  
Haruko was boiling mad. THAT SLEAZY WITCH is from Takezono! And Sakuragi- kun is fraternizing with her!  
  
But, fine. If that's what he wants to do, then he could do it. After all, who was she in his life to have the right to tell him what to or what not to do? He is not her boyfriend.  
  
At the thought of 'girlfriend', she became slightly angry. Is that girl his girlfriend? But he's so, dorky... and she's not the type to go for him! THEY DON'T MATCH! She didn't deserve him... that giggling hyena and her friend do not match at all!  
  
But, who is she? And why is she teaching Sakuragi basketball? It's not as if she knows anything about the sport, does she? And it's not as if he will learn from her, will he? She, Akagi Haruko, wanted to see Sakuragi improve! Not mess up! And she wants him to learn from her! He is HER friend!  
  
But... how come she, Akagi Haruko, is worked up about this? And why does she feel insecurity when this mystery girl is around?  
  
~*~  
  
At the other side of the basketball court Rukawa Kaede, who intended to practice that morning also, arrived and watched his teammate and the girl he talked to yesterday with more curiosity than he would admit. [ABI: I put him pretty far away from Haruko. I don't want her near him, dirtying him and other junk! Or at least I am preventing her from annoying him with her idiocy.]  
  
What no one knew too much about this raven-haired, sleep-loving, young man is that he is quite observant. He didn't want to show too much emotion, because he's that quite reserved. Besides, he learned long ago that if you get too close to someone, you end up losing them... without the knowledge if you meet them up again. He also learned not to cry about losing something dear, but to smile because he was lucky to have had it.  
  
But... we're getting off topic here. And so, Rukawa became withdrawn to himself. He learned to not get close to anyone, even he if yearned to vent his feelings out. Only his basketball and the game itself comfort him. His teammates got the wrong impression of him, he could make them change their minds, but... not yet. He'll just be close to them from afar, watching them make good things happen.  
  
And even though he still disliked Sakuragi Hanamichi, he knew this guy has as much talent in the sport as he could have. He just has to stop bragging about it, or be so loud, or be so obnoxious, or be so... you get the point, don't you? Rukawa knew that the other is pretty talented, good... and that he is one heck of an opponent. He has his "Wall Defense" of, "Hun Hun Defense". Then, he has an amazing speed. And, much to his dismay, he has a great jumping abilities and an amazing strength. How could he beat Captain Akagi if he didn't?  
  
See, Rukawa didn't hate the guy... he actually admired him. He just didn't like his loudness, brash behavior and boastfulness. But then again... Rukawa thought, didn't Sakuragi hate him for a girl's crush? Sakuragi knew he didn't like that girl. He got the point from the very beginning... but then again, it's the girl who's at fault. He already told her to bug off and she still won't stop following him. He felt sorry for her, that she didn't know this guy did things for her... because of her. How could he miss the time when he convincing his friends to clean the locker room? (Yes, he was there.) How could he miss the squeaky clean basketballs and gym floor? [ABI: Sendoh-sama... heheheh.] And when he was ready to quit the club, he heard from Youhei that Sakuragi really wanted to play... but another part of his reasoning is because of Akagi Takenori's sister. Then, there's that annoying Judo captain. He had baited Sakuragi with that girl's pictures. And he almost fell for it.  
  
Surveying the scene before him, he narrowed his eyes at his teammate and the girl. He sensed something familiar.  
  
He shook his head, erasing the thoughts from his mind. 'Focus on this first, doaho.' He thought to himself. 'Worry about your own problems later.'  
  
Anyway, as the girl giggled, his lips curled into a lopsided smile. His last thoughts were, 'Things are going to get messy. But, Sakuragi... you should know you're lucky.' And he watched as she asked him if he did proper warm ups.  
  
~*~  
  
"Did you stretch out for this?" Yoko asked him with a skeptical look on his face.  
  
"Yes, Yoko-san." He replied. "I ran around the court thirty times and did the upper and lower body stretches we usually do."  
  
She frowned. "Call me Yoko or Yoko-chan. We are close friends, aren't we?"  
  
The last thing made him blank out for a sec. His defense mode kicked in. He smiled and nodded. Then, he caught himself and tried it on for size, "Yoko. Yoko-chan. I think I like Yoko-chan better."  
  
"Then call me that!"  
  
"Okay... you call me... you call me..." Sometimes, his brain shuts down... he was at a loss right here.  
  
~*~  
  
Rukawa went into chibi mode and sweatdropped. "Say something, doaho!" He muttered and was going into a low reprimand, but caught himself.  
  
~*~  
  
Haruko... well, she was... green with envy. No other words can describe it.  
  
~*~  
  
Yoko giggled again. "May I call you Hana-chan?" She suggested.  
  
He turned red. 'Little flower.' "Hai!" He nodded again and smiled.  
  
~*~  
  
Two sets of thoughts:  
  
Rukawa - ROTFL.... or rolls on the floor laughing. But, being himself... he caught himself and thought it inside his head. [ABI: no one could bottle up emotions without doing something about it!]  
  
Haruko - Well that girl certainly has gull! Sakuragi-kun, why did you agree?  
  
~*~  
  
"Well, Hana-chan, let me see how you do it, so I could point your mistake."  
  
Sakuragi, being himself, told her, "I am a tensai! I don't make mistakes!" Then he kicked himself, literally. "I have to stop doing that. I know Yoko-chan is only helping me."  
  
She laughed heartilly. "It's a good thing you have confidence in your abilities.... but Hana-chan, you have to control the urge to shout out to the whole world that you are a tensai. It's never good to be boastful of a fact or knowledge... and it's always nice if you stay humble... that way, people can praise you! If you are already giving yourself a pat on the back, people might think they don't need to! So be careful!" She told him. This way, he would at least tone it down, and hopefully he would be able to fully stop and let other people judge his abilities. "And, don't think too much of something too far ahead. You might be disappointed with what it truly means when you find out." She noticed, during the game that whenever he could block Oda, or save the ball, or do something pretty well... he'll go into this trance. She could only guess that he was thinking of being praised; that and saw his friends saying he's daydreaming again.  
  
Sakuragi frowned a little at this. But it made sense to him. After all, that's what he was doing before. He agreed to it. He'll do his best. Yoko-chan is helping him after all.  
  
"Here." Yoko passed him the ball. "Let's see how you do it!"  
  
[ABI: Think of a very upbeat song coming up... I am listening to BBMak's 'Out of My Heart, Into Your Head' and Avril Lavigne's 'Sk8ter Boi' while I write this!]  
  
He nodded and proceeded to do it. He dribbled the ball up to the board, then bent his knees, jumped and put it in. The ball touched the backboard, rounded the ring a few times then missed.  
  
Yoko startled him by saying, "Hmmm. Let's do something about your form. I noticed you were a little tense at some parts... form is very important in every single shot you make... or dribbling. Basic stances, basic drills... you have to know all of them before moving onto complex things. Without the basics, you will not be able to do others which form from it." She had jogged right after him while he shot the ball. "I know it is kind of insignificant to you right now, thinking... well I could do this and that... it's more artful than those things you want me to do. But, believe me... you need them more than you think."  
  
~*~  
  
Three jaws dropped at the statement. They were Rukawa's, Haruko's and Sakuragi's.  
  
~*~  
  
"How did you know I think that way?" Sakuragi asked the little know-it- all.  
  
"It's on your face, and..." Yoko seemed a little hesitant saying the last part. "It really doesn't matter, but Oda used to be the same." He was about to say bad stuff about that floppy-haired, pretty boy that will make him sneeze a million times over... but she silenced him. "I am only using him as an example. Another... that guy in number 11 jersey... he must've been the same when he was first taught these things."  
  
~*~  
  
Rukawa remained silent, but was slightly prompted to go up and tell his teammate how horrible he was when he first started in the sport, just to give a little encouragement. He was actually like him when he was a kid. But, all people change for reasons unknown to others but themselves.  
  
After he heard her statement, Sakuragi was quiet after she said those things... a side unknown to everybody but the Sakuragi Gundan. They have been friends for a long while and knew each other as if they were all quadruplets.  
  
"OOOOOO!!!" The Sakuragi Gundan, speak of the devils, said when they saw him, but he immediately silenced them with look that meant, 'You better shut up. This is not the time.'  
  
Youhei, being the most mature, asked quietly, "What are you on about, Rukawa-kun?"  
  
The other just cocked his head over Sakuragi's and Yoko's direction. "But be quiet. I don't want any comments, got it?"  
  
The others just nodded in shock even when they are bursting to make girly noises and tease the two to no end.  
  
As Rukawa shifted his position to make himself comfortable, he saw Gori's sister. [ABI: He also calls Akagi 'Gori' simply because he agreed. He DOES look like a gorilla... and is like a gorilla when he's in control of the paint. But, he still respects the captain.] "What is that girl doing over there?" He voiced his thoughts out loud without his knowledge.  
  
Again, Youhei asked quietly, "You mean Haruko? I saw her jogging before she reached the courts. I guess she's in shock with all of this. And, I never thought..." He trailed off.  
  
The raven-haired one smirked and supplied, much to Youhei and the other members of Sakuragi's gang's surprise, "That Yoko might actually reciprocate Sakuragi's feelings?"  
  
They all nodded. "It's just impossible though." Ookusu said. "But then again, impossible things happen with Hanamichi."  
  
"But how do you figure that?" Takamiya asked.  
  
"I know more than a lot of you think. You don't think I sleep all the time or make basketball my whole life, do you?" Rukawa told them vaguely. "But, enough of this chit-chat."  
  
And they all turned to the unfurling scene before them.  
  
Not before, Noma told Rukawa, "You were looking in on them for a pretty long time, weren't you?"  
  
With much hesitation, he nodded. "Don't tell anybody."  
  
~*~  
  
"Every beginner, whether they're gifted or not, has to come to terms with the fundamental things of a sport or anything at all. So he could have experience, and excel in the next levels or a more complex form of that simple skill. Just be patient and have the perseverance like that of a dragon king. The outcome will be more than what you ever could imagine, Hana-chan."  
  
~*~  
  
"HANA-CHAN?!" The Sakuragi Gundan exclaimed in a hushed whisper. They almost blew their cover in shock.  
  
~*~  
  
She sounds like a preacher, but she didn't care. Hana-chan has to realize that nothing as complex as life can come into fruition without subatomic particles. It is important in basketball.  
  
With her love for Oda, came her love for basketball. She wants to share with Hanamichi how basketball could really be. She wants him to be like the one in number 11, or even Oda. That way, that captain of his wouldn't hit him, or the Takezono girls would not belittle him so much. So that no one can underestimate him or put him down.  
  
She cared for him.  
  
"Hana-chan, I saw that even if your form is a bit okay, you use too much arm power. Let's work on those." She said, finally getting to the real lesson. "Watch me do how you do it." She dribbled the ball a little bit and imitated his posture, and put a lot of power on her right hand when she shot it, without even bending her knees before take off. She retrieved the ball that rolled off to the side and came back to him. "The key to a lay up, like every other shot in basketball is to get the force from the jump. Imagine your legs as if they were a coiled spring." She gestured the said area. "When you bend it, imagine the spring coiling tighter even more." Then proceeded to bend her legs, and gestured him to copy her lower body posture. "When you release the force which is atop the coiled spring, what happens?" She asked him.  
  
"It goes all over the place?"  
  
"That's right. This is where the upper body comes to play. When you use the jump power, you don't need to use any arm power at all, well, maybe a little bit. The power of the impact of your jump travels from your lower body to your upper one. All you need to do is aim and 'gently' put it in. Watch me put it all together." She retreated back a bit for room. "You run." She dribbled the ball down up to just a feet away from the net. "Then, you gather your jump power as if your legs are these two big coiling springs as you bend slightly." She bent a bit, holding her right arm up high, the palm of her hand facing up with the ball. "And gently put the ball in." And she released the ball, tossing it up just a bit. It soared just above the small, white square of the backboard and went in, touching nothing but the net. She landed on the ground, and smiled up at him. "You try it, Hana-chan!" She retrieved the ball and got an idea. "Pretend we're in a game, Hana-chan! I'm going to be your teammate, and I'll pass the ball to you so you could shoot it!" Then she dribbled the ball down the court expertly then evading an imaginary defender.  
  
Hanamichi soon caught up with what she said, and ran down with her as she held up a finger when she dribbled with one hand as if she was the point guard. "We'll get this one, won't we Hana-chan?"  
  
"Of course, Yoko-chan!" Then he ran up to her as she bounce passed the ball to him. [AE {Author Explains}: she passed it in between the "defender's" legs.] He dribbled the ball down up near the net and thought of the key words of what he should do. *Bend knees slightly for power.* And he did, then took off. Arm stretched up high, hand with ball palm up... and gently put the ball in.  
  
Nothing but the net. He looked at his hands in astonishment as Yoko ran up to him and gave him a big hug with a delighted squeal. "YOU DID IT!!!!! I KNEW YOU COULD AND YOU DID!" She held his hands as they excitedly jumped from one foot to the other. [AE: Think back to that episode. Imagine Yoko with Sakuragi doing what he and Haruko did.] "Hana-chan, you did it! Yippee!"  
  
And he remembered to be humble. "Thanks, Yoko-chan! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Then rejoiced in his accomplishment with his 'nyahahaha' laugh.  
  
[ABI: Sweatdrop, anyone?]  
  
By 8:30 AM that morning [AE - an hour after the first shot], Sakuragi Hanamichi made a hundred lay up shots straight, without missing any. This is much to the delight of Yoko and his friends. Rukawa was also happy for him in a sense, but that meant he had less practice time that morning. He would have loved to practice his shots too. Haruko had long gone, telling herself she didn't need to watch that witch preach, preach, and preach her friend.  
  
~*~  
  
That night, Yoko went to sleep with a wide smile on her face. However exhausted they were after that morning practice, he took her home to make sure she arrived there safely.  
  
"I wouldn't want my friend, and my teacher to be harmed in any way. Who would teach me now in a non violent way?" He had said. [ABI: Notice he didn't think of Haruko! Heheh.]  
  
But, as she said earlier. The reward for whatever he practiced for will be more than enough. He had said so too.  
  
The last thought on her mind was, would he be ecstatic tomorrow when she arrives in his class. She knew she would be in the same class as he. Their last names are close, are they not?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
End of Chapter Two  
  
READERS, READ IMPORTANT NOTICE: This story is a sort of AU. I meant it to be as realistic and close to the series as possible, though. And I am sorry I got the episodes mixed up. But, I hope it does not change the quality of the story. So this story is set before the Ryonan practice game. It is also set before the time he got basketball shoes. But, they had the practice game with Takezono. That's all! Thanks for reading.  
  
Reviewers, I thank you all! You guys are the best.  
  
Reviewers Galore {find your name}  
  
Fiery Ice - I must say your story was quite intriguing even if it did have a few errors. I liked them. Thanks for the review! Sorry I didn't get to review or even read the other chapters... ff.net's being messed up again!  
  
SoS - HAH! Thanks for your review! Hope you're happy with this chappie, Sendoh-sama! Wait, A-Chan is Sendoh-sama... JUST KIDDING! I love teasing you about that!  
  
Kei - Thanks for the review! I noticed there was no story about Yoko, and then I hated Haruko... so I thought of this! Thanks for saying it's original... I like to keep my stories like that all way... well, even if a bit somewhat. BTW, I might be able to update once a week. I'll try to update twice a week. But then, teachers are piling so much homework!  
  
Maemi - thanks for the review! Yes... Haruko is stupid... but she is pitiful. I go with Yoko too! In a way. Heheheh. She did reject him first, didn't she? And yes, Yoko is sooooo much prettier and she has a better voice. And you bet I will continue.  
  
Kookie - I will do my best. And thanks for the good luck.  
  
Jennyspark - I'm sorry but I didn't quite get what you said. Yoko is not an original character.... but then again I am confused. Thanks for the compliments!  
  
sLL - I can't promise that Haruko will just get lost. Sorry. But, thanks for the review and compliments. Hope you liked this chapter, though. I made her get lost, didn't I? And thanks for your reviews on my other fics. I'm trying to finish them!  
  
Hitora Gin - I agree with you... Hana does deserve a girl.  
  
L - Sorry, but you have to wait quite a while. I have another fic that will somehow parallel this one. But, no worries. I'll get it done as soon as I can!  
  
Demon-heiress - Thanks for your review! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I give you an award! ::hands trophy, reads first reviewer:: Leave me a name besides your author name, btw. You'll see why in the next chapters. And since you were my first reviewer, I thought why not to take a look at what work you've got. I am hooked on "We Are Strong." Where is the next installment? I am sorry I didn't review. But ff.net was giving me trouble! It keeps on freezing... and the pop ups are slowing me down... and lastly, when I pressed review on the 'preview' the window won't give me want I wanted. But, know I did try. AND I WANT THE NEXT ONE UP! I am excited to read your story... and I have another story which will have the same basic plot, Sakuragi leaves Shohoku... but for a different reason. So, keep it up! Thanks for your support! You have mine... oh and HARUKO IS SUCH A STUPID NINNY in Criminal Mastermind.... but I want the next installment of We Are Strong... hope you continue it! And glad to hear you love my story... I love yours, too!!! {We Are Strong, hint, hint... CONTINUE! Oops... that wasn't a hint.} LOL  
  
  
  
What's Next: {Preview might change over the course of the week}  
  
Chapter 3: The Perfect Pair  
  
Yoko stepped inside the classroom and met the flabbergasted look of Sakuragi Hanamichi. She smiled at him and said, "Ohayo, Hana-chan! How is the tensai?"  
  
  
  
This is Rukawa Joycie. Over and out.... for another week. 


	3. A Perfect Pair

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot... HEY YOU KNOW THE DRILL! None of it is mine... except the plot, I mean! Don't sue me... and I am getting tired of disclaiming every chapter, darn it!  
  
Author's Note: Anybody disliked the last chapter? Hope not! And I hope you like this one too! And I know it's late! Sorry! I caught a computer virus! I got a new computer but I had to earn money for it.  
  
Rants: I am listening to a lot of upbeat songs for this chapter. But every time Yoko and Sakuragi makes eye contact or anything like that, imagine a sweet, melodic song playing along with it. I find it very nice listening to suited background music while reading... it makes things more fun, no da? So, when I wrote that part with the Yoko teaching Sakuragi... the REAL lesson from last chapter, listen to the said songs with it! And add Baha Men's "Move It Like This" if you want... heheh... I forgot to press repeat when that came on!  
  
DISCOVERY: Yoko's last name is Shimomura.... I was kinda close, wasn't I? SO, from now on, I will refer to her as Shimomura Yoko. OH! And there's also a singer with her name!!! Was she named after her? ::grins::  
  
Last thing: Notice I gave Rukawa a little attention in this story? Towards the end of this tale... I will write a Rukawa/OC story. This is sort of an introduction to that! Because, I dislike... Oops... I almost gave out the one who will not be picked to be Sakuragi's koi! Forgive me. (Wouldn't you like to know just who! And, AN... you know who you are, do NOT tell them! But then again, you don't know half the twists I plan on putting here!) Rukawa and Sakuragi will be OOC in this story from this chapter on.  
  
Very Last Thing: ENJOY!  
  
Hear My Heart Chapter 3: The Perfect Pair  
  
Morning came at just the right time for Sakuragi. He felt invincible. After rejoicing at the fact that Yoko-san, correction: Yoko-chan is his close friend and taught him lay ups... he felt that today was going to be great. He didn't know why.  
  
He showered and dressed for school. Because he lived by himself, his kind neighbor actually offered to cook breakfast for him every morning, in exchange for watering the garden in the morning or doing hard labor for her when she needed it. Since he already watered the plants earlier, it's time to pick up her end of the bargain for that day.  
  
"Ohayo, Yamaguchi-sempai!" He told the middle aged lady who was wearing an apron as he rung the bell for her house.  
  
"Ah, Sakuragi-san. You're just in time!" She beckoned him inside.  
  
He made his way to the kitchen where his okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) lay and wolfed it down. Of course, he said a quick grace before digging in.  
  
The lady just smiled down at him in amusement. Then she offhandedly commented on how happy he seemed today while watering the plants. Especially since the song he sang in the morning wasn't the usual "Ore Wa Tensai."  
  
"Sakuragi-san, you seem to be in a great mood today!"  
  
"Yamaguchi-sempai, I am always in a great mood!" He said, with his mouth half filled with food.  
  
"Swallow, then talk next time, okay?" He nodded. "But today is different. It's like... you're, you're... feeling like nothing can put you down!"  
  
"I really don't know why. I just do! Maybe because you made me this great okonomiyaki!"  
  
She slapped him lightly just as he finished the last bite. "Stop flattering me."  
  
"I don't! You just do!" And he brought the dishes to the sink and washed them. When he finished and made his way outside, Yamaguchi-san called him from behind and gave him a bento.  
  
"Here. Eat it for lunch! Not while you walk, for LUNCH!" She yelled the last one in his ear.  
  
"Alright, alright! I will eat it for lunch!" 'Darn, she knows that I would have eaten this while I walk.' "Thank you very much, Yamaguchi- sempai! I'm off!"  
  
"Take care... and be good!" She waved and closed the door.  
  
Yamaguchi Kaena lived alone since she moved out of her parents' house when she graduated from college. It was around the time that Sakuragi got in trouble with a gang and his father died. She helped him recover, and since she'd seen how Sakuragi Yoshi love his son very much, she promised herself she would help the young man get through his hardships.  
  
He was very grateful for her kindness. And then... he slapped his forehead. 'I should invite her to watch me when I play! But first, I have to remember it! Maybe Youhei would help me!' And so, he began humming a tune for no particular reason with his bento and bag.  
  
~*~  
  
Woke up late. Slipped in the bath. Bad hair day. Could not eat breakfast. Slipped down the pavement while trying to get a hold of herself on her bike. Unprepared lunch. Ill-equipped bag... what was she to do?  
  
This was not Akagi Haruko's day. Nope. It really wasn't!  
  
"I HATE MONDAYS!!!!!!!!!" She thought as she nearly collided with someone making their way to school too. She only has four more blocks to go, and this happens!  
  
Although she did not fall down, the other person did. [ABI: Drat! I know. Payback will be later, Haruko! Hee hee hee!]  
  
As the other dropped her stuff and lost balance, Haruko quickly blabbed, "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't see you, and I am nearly late to school! I am really sorry! Are you hurt? I've got to go get help if you are! Hopefully my teacher would let me slide this time!"  
  
And a familiar voice entered her ears. "It's quite alright. I can deal with it! No need to call for anybody."  
  
Did she mention that she absolutely HATED MONDAYS?!  
  
~*~  
  
Shimomura Yoko made her way to Shohoku happily. She made Okonomiyaki for lunch. Actually, for about six. Hana-chan and his friends might like some. She always thought of others before herself. A trait she picked up from her grandmother who passed away. She had always taught her to be cordial, respectful and considerate of other people and herself. Since she was still used to waking up at five AM, she thought, 'Why not put the time to good use?' She made breakfast for herself and her parents. Then she made lunch for her and Hana-chan, but thought of Youhei and the others.  
  
But, she abruptly stopped at the thought. She hadn't made any for the basketball team! Especially if for after school during practice breaks! How can she be careless? Not thinking of the basketball team is totally rude of her! Maybe she could get water and a few snacks for them after school... maybe she could...  
  
But before she was able to think of more ideas for after school that day, she nearly collided with a runaway bike. Well, the person on it seems like she was in a hurry, and in shock, she dropped her bag and six lunch boxes.  
  
The rider apologized and chattered profusely while she dusted herself and gathered the fallen items. It was a good thing that she has a bunch of hard lunch box cases, or else the food will have been spilt all over the pavement.  
  
She waved it off. It's what she always does. Besides, nobody was hurt. The girl stopped just in time.  
  
When she looked up to face the person, she was slightly shocked at the fleeting hostile expression on the other's face. Somehow, she seemed familiar. One of Sakuragi's friends, in fact... she recalled a little bit.  
  
~*~ Flashback ~*~  
  
Yoko and Sakuragi were jogging from the courts, doing little passes, talking and basically having fun.  
  
"I really hate to ask this, but what happened to you and Oda? I noticed you didn't call him Oda-kun, and Yoko-chan always called him that." He asked her meekly.  
  
"Hana-chan, I don't know how to put it in anyway. After the practice match, we argued about something so simple, but personal." 'Actually it's more than that. It escalated and we broke up. And prompted his never ending line of girls to insult me and drive me even more away than I already was!'  
  
"I see." He dared not to ask any more. 'I'll kill that stupid, floppy- haired, good-for-nothing S.O.B. someday! No... I'll beat him at his game... in basketball! How dare he care not for Yoko-chan?' "It's like that stupid kitsune who ignores Haruko-san!" A little blush here and there, but not the usual starry-eyed look, yet he did not notice.  
  
"Haruko-san?" Yoko inquired.  
  
"Aiaiaiaiaaiieeeeee!!!!" He panicked. He wasn't aware he voiced that part! "Haruko-san is my friend in Shohoku. She is Gori's sister... I did tell you about Gori, didn't I? But, you would not make any connection between them! They don't look alike at all!"  
  
"I seem to recall you saying that this Gori is your captain. Maybe you would want to cut the nickname. It's not nice!"  
  
"His last name's Akagi."  
  
"Then call him, Akagi-captain, Akagi-sempai... or Akagi-san at least."  
  
"Do I have to?"  
  
"Respect other people as you respect me. You would want people to respect you when regarded as an elder to a younger sister or brother the way you want to be respected, right?"  
  
He reluctantly agreed. "Of course!"  
  
"Then... you know what to do!"  
  
~*~ End Flashback ~*~  
  
"Are you Akagi Haruko?" Yoko meekly asked the other girl. "My name is Shimomura Yoko. Hana-chan had mentioned you're his friend." She said, when the other girl had a perplexed look on her face that clearly said, 'How did she know my name?'  
  
~*~  
  
Nodding, Haruko acknowledge the greeting and introduction. But, she couldn't help but be forward, "Why are you wearing a Shohoku fuku? Don't you go to Takezono?"  
  
With a beautiful laugh, much to her dismay, the other told her, "I used to. I just transferred. I am afraid my classmates wouldn't find my presence pleasant." The other just went on as she started walking the last four blocks. It's seven thirty, and school begins in a half hour, after all! "See, I just broke up with a basketball team player whom a lot of girls like. As you know, there are around 75 percent of women in Takezono, so they turned against me, instantly."  
  
Inwardly, she snickered at the thought. But, not for long.  
  
"They didn't even know the whole story. Hana-chan and I were just talking, I congratulated him after the practice game and then Oda turned into the protective boyfriend that would suffocate any girl. And then, he tells me that I hold him back from accomplishing basketball. Most of the time, since he started playing for Takezono, it's as if he loved basketball more than he loved me. I couldn't handle it. But, I noticed that he went ballistic when I was defending Hana-chan from his insults..." She covered her mouth. Not only is this girl a stranger, but she's not her diary. "Sorry! I didn't realize I was getting carried away!"  
  
They were near the school. Just one more block and Haruko wouldn't have to hear her sob story. Nevertheless, she was polite, or at least tried to be, by saying after a moment, "I'm sorry to hear that. Well, I'll see you! Yoko-san." And they finally entered the gates.  
  
"See you, Haruko-san!" The other replied waving as they went on their separate ways.  
  
Little witch weasel. That's what Haruko had in mind.  
  
~*~  
  
As she waved her farewell to Haruko, Yoko thought that she was a sweet girl. Hana-chan knows how to pick his friends!  
  
No matter how, each and every one of them had a unique characteristic of their own. She remembered him telling her yesterday while he made his shots.  
  
~*~ Lay ups ~*~  
  
"Hana-chan, how are your friends like?" She was curious about them and asked him, for no reason at all. Maybe she wanted to fit in, but she wants to know more about him.  
  
"There's Youhei, you know him. He's somehow like a big brother to me, with him looking out for me most of the time. His favorite color is sea green, which I tease him about most of the time. But then again, he teases me about every single time I make a fool out of myself."  
  
"That's not nice!"  
  
"Don't mind it, Yoko-chan. He cheers me up, most of the time. There was a time he made me realize that I never really became serious about any girl when I fell for... I shouldn't be really saying who." He continued to make a lay up.  
  
"Who is it, Hana-chan?"  
  
"I'll tell you when I have the courage to. But, she is in love with somebody else." Before she could pursue the topic, which she did not want to, anymore, he said, "Then, there are the guys, Takamiya, Ookusu and Noma. They bet, they horse around, and they distract anybody in their paths for fun."  
  
She giggled. She liked the way he put it.  
  
"The basketball team, there aren't exactly anyone in it that I would like to call a friend. I have a rival, the one in number eleven... his name is Rukawa Kaede and a bunch of girls fall for him like he's some sort of God, which he's not. On top of that, he treats a lot of us frostily and has no emotion at all. But, I do have to admit. He's skillful in the sport.  
  
"Then, there's also Akagi-sempai. I have to admit that I beat him in a showdown by some freak chance. He's a good player. Believe it or not, I do have respect for him. If I don't show it too much, then I am sorry.... you have to know me to know that I simply do."  
  
"Then, I guess I have to know you better, Hana-chan!"  
  
Smirking, he said, "That's an understatement, Yoko-chan. But, since you're my friend... I do believe you should know who I am. Especially since you call me little flower now."  
  
"But it's cute, don't you think?"  
  
"If you think so, then it is!"  
  
She just smiled, not knowing the statement underneath that sentence. Then she said, "I'll get to know you more when I teach you jump shots, and free throws, and three-pointers.... I'm really looking forward to it, Hana- chan!"  
  
"So am I, Yoko-chan."  
  
"Then, after this, we move to defending!" She pumped a fist as he made his hundred shot - without messing up. She held out an imaginary mic to him and said, "Sugoi, Sakuragi-kun! You have broken a record that cannot be accomplished by a lot. You are turning into a pro lay up shooter!"  
  
Innocently, Sakuragi asked out of pure curiosity, "Is there such a thing?" He asked if as if he meant to become a pro lay up shooter.  
  
Yoko just laughed.  
  
~*~ End Lay Ups Scene ~*~  
  
She sighed happily as she recalled how fun yesterday was. She asked a student for directions to the office to pick up her gym uniform then made her way to her classroom, room 1-7.  
  
She opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
"Yoko-san?" Mito Youhei exclaimed upon seeing her.  
  
"Ohayo, Mito-kun." She brightly greeted him, making Hanamichi look up from his bent form.  
  
His eyes widened upon seeing her. He rubbed his eyes to see if she was just an illusion or hologram. Nope, she wasn't.  
  
"Ohayo, Hana-chan! How is the tensai?" She smiled at him. "Surprise! I wanted to tell you yesterday, but I hoped you didn't mind me trying to surprise you."  
  
"No! It's no problem at all. I can't believe you are here, that's all. How come?"  
  
She made a little face. Something she got from him. "Anybody who messes with Oda, messes with his brigade. And seventy-five percent the Takezono population is his brigade."  
  
"That..."  
  
Little look.  
  
"...son of a gun!"  
  
She just giggled.... a melodic sound that entranced him to no end. "Don't mind!" She said with a beautiful intonation of shortened endings. [AE: You know, it's like how they say it in the anime?]  
  
He laughed along with her. Her laughter is contagious.  
  
"Do you mind if I sit in front of you?" She asked him, noticing the desk in front of him had no bag or books.  
  
Knowing nobody was brave enough to take that seat, he told her, "No! I don't mind at all."  
  
Then, the school bells rang and all paid attention to the teacher, who was surprised that the red head was behaving quite well that day.  
  
~*~Lunch~*~  
  
"Hana-chan, I made you guys something this morning." Yoko told the blushing red head as they made their way outside the classroom. "Come with me to my locker." And then grabbed his arm and ran there. 00-06-13 and popped open. She took all of the bento that she carried that morning.  
  
Finally finding his voice, "You did not have to make anything for me, Yoko- chan. Or for my friends for that matter."  
  
Sweetly, she told him, "But I wanted to. So it's not bother."  
  
He couldn't say anything else after that. They made their way to the gym silently, where Hanamichi always had lunch.  
  
The Sakuragi Gundan was guffawing about something when they arrived.  
  
"What on earth are you guys making hellish noises for?" He asked them.  
  
"Come and see, Hana-chan." Youhei told him. "You too, Yoko-san."  
  
"Just Yoko, if you don't mind!" She told him as they made their way over to the place. "It's not like we are strangers. By the way, I made lunch for all of us. A celebratory lunch for Hana-chan's accomplishment yesterday!" She said clapping her hands.  
  
The Sakuragi Gundan, however dumb they may look, knew how to act surprised. "What did he do? Ask you out and got turned down again?"  
  
Both turned red, one getting violent.... but was pulled back. "No, it's not that." Yoko told them, timidly. "I was hoping we could all start over. Skip introductions, but just becoming friends, sort of thing." It's not that she forgot the question.... or she wants to. She just.... well, she didn't know what she wanted right now, except friendship.  
  
Getting the idea, Youhei told them, "We were watching the team's manageress and the team's point guard." He pointed to the two.  
  
Ayako was trying to eat in peace, while Yasuharu Yasuda waved madly in the air. They couldn't the conversation, but it was pretty funny from the outside.  
  
"I wonder what's wrong." Yoko questioned.  
  
"Sakuragi." Someone called from behind.  
  
They all turned around, and Hanamichi said, "Megane-kun! What are you doing here?"  
  
The vice captain looked down. "Ano... nothing."  
  
All eyes narrowed at the meek upperclassman.  
  
"Oh alright. I was looking for Ayako." He sighed. "She was going to talk to me about you, and your progress. She's talking to every one on the team."  
  
"Right!" Yoko clapped her hands. "The team's manager, or in your case, manageress wants to know how the team gets along with each other after a few days. Especially the ones who stayed in the team long enough. If they're talking about you, Hana-chan, then it must mean you might play this early in the season or in your years of basketball! You're a real tensai!" She settled the lunch boxes down quickly and grasped her friend's hands as they did their victory jumps.  
  
The others just looked on in surprise. Kogure chuckled and smiled at the two. Aren't they a cute pair? He thought. He noticed the way Hanamichi didn't blush too much, just enough with a delighted expression and bright eyes. He also noticed that the girl was from last Saturday... during the Takezono practice match... "Ano... aren't you from Takezono?" He couldn't help but ask, causing them to halt.  
  
"Well, yes. I just transferred here." She told him vaguely. She didn't have to tell the whole world she transferred here because of her break up with Oda. Speaking of which, he must be happy now.  
  
"I see." He said tapping his chin with a finger. "It's a pretty good thing that you know a few people already."  
  
"I went to Wakou Junior High with Hana-chan, Mito-kun, Ookusu-kun, Takamiya- kun and Noma-kun. Mito-kun and Hana-chan were in my classes all three years. I thought Takezono was better than going to a public school, so I went there first. It's basically the same thing, only a more expensive." She giggled at the end, noticing how true it was.  
  
"Ahhh." He said, adjusting his glasses. "I am Kogure Kiminobu. Year 3, Class 6. Jolly good to meet you."  
  
"Shimomura Yoko. Year 1, Class 7. Nice to meet you too, sempai!"  
  
"Kogure-sempai?" Ayako said, releasing Yasuharu from her 'office'. "Ahh, Sakuragi Hanamichi!" She clapped her hands. "Speak of the devil." Then she laughed. No one laughed with her and she stopped. "Ahem. Well, sempai?" She said expectantly.  
  
Said sempai bowed to Yoko, as she returned his bow. "Ja ne!" They spoke at the same time.  
  
He stepped into the 'office' leaving Sakuragi and the others behind. "What's the matter?"  
  
Ayako sighed and paced. "After the match with Takezono, I've been wondering... Shouldn't Sakuragi have gotten himself a pair of basketball shoes? I saw how his gym shoes are nearly torn. Besides, the competition is nearing. We wouldn't want him to get hurt because gym shoes are not fit for serious playing." She paused.  
  
"Sou." Kogure scratched his head in wonder. "Demo, how do we get him to go and get one?"  
  
"I think we should talk to someone close to him. Someone who could help him get one. Like a really close friend."  
  
"Why not his family or relative?"  
  
"I searched Sakuragi's school records, and unfortunately his mother, Hinoto Ayami had divorced his father, Sakuragi Yoshi soon after he was born. She moved somewhere else. The father... he is dead. His guardian and neighbor, Yamaguchi Kaena, is the only one who takes care of him. He is an only child, too."  
  
"Is that so?" He turned to look at the people who were happily eating in the gym. Then it struck him. "I'll see to it that he will get one today."  
  
As if the previous sad conversation didn't occur, Ayako asked, "What do you think of Sakuragi's performance during the game?"  
  
~*~  
  
After going out of the gym, Sakuragi tried to follow and eavesdrop on the vice captain and manageress' conversation. Of course, even if his gundan would let him, after all they were curious too (and they would get head butts if they stopped him), Yoko wouldn't and stopped him from doing so.  
  
"Hana-chan, how about eating instead of eavesdropping?" She picked up the lunchboxes and waved them. "Okonomiyaki?" And smiled.  
  
This in turn, had Sakuragi's mouth watering. He remembered Yamaguchi- sempai's Okonomiyaki, but he could eat that and Yoko's as well. He was growing boy after all! "Domo arigato, Yoko-chan!"  
  
She shook her head in amusement at the boy who had his jaw dropped while looking at the bento. She handed him the bento. "Hai!" And smiled at him again. Then she turned toward the others. "I made some for you as well. I hope you like them!" And she proceeded to hand them their Okonomiyaki.  
  
Youhei, Takamiya, Ookusu, and Noma all looked at each other. Then they got their 'celebratory equipment' and used them on her. "Welcome to the Sakuragi Gundan! You are definitely our one and only cook!" After they finished though, they faced Sakuragi's head butt.  
  
THWACK!  
  
THWACK!  
  
THWACK!  
  
THWACK!  
  
"If you welcome her to become one of you stupid morons, I will not have it... especially not as your cook!" Their attacker informed them strongly. He glared, daring them to say otherwise.  
  
"Okay, okay!" They all said while lying down on the floor.  
  
Yoko could not remember a time when she wanted to laugh so hard at something that her stomach feels as if it was going to burst. When she managed to calm down, she told Sakuragi, "It's alright Hana-chan! Daijoubu!" Then she smiled warmly at him. "Now, why don't you eat up before somebody takes it away?"  
  
He smiled back. "As you wish, Yoko-hime!" Then he froze. He didn't mean to say that out loud. He only hoped she did not catch it, or the others.  
  
She froze when he addressed her as 'hime.'  
  
The Gundan's jaws dropped to the floor and froze when they heard him.  
  
And that's how Haruko, Fujii and Matsui found them.  
  
~*~  
  
"Haruko! Matte!" Her friends yelled as Haruko made her way to the gym.  
  
"Oh. Sorry about that." She said. She knows Sakuragi will be there training today. He always does.  
  
"Okay. What are you in a hurry for? We called out for you before you exited the room but you were in La La land or something." Matsui, always direct, told her haughtily.  
  
Haruko did not answer. She herself doesn't know why she was in a hurry. Maybe it was because she knew that girl... Yoko... would somehow find him first than she will.  
  
STOP! She told her mind. That was NOT why she was in a hurry. She was just spacing out!  
  
Author/Subconscious (A/S) says: Right, uh-huh! That's the reason... but then again, why would you space out?  
  
Haruko: Stop picking on me!  
  
A/S: Whatever you say, doaho.  
  
"HARUKO!" Matsui yelled.  
  
Now, that jolted her out of her reverie. "Nani?"  
  
"You almost bumped into Rukawa. That's highly unlikely of you to do." Fujii informed her.  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yes." Both of her friends shook their heads. 'Why did I get such an airhead for a friend?' Both thought silently. 'Ah! Maybe Sakuragi-kun would help her get back to herself.' Again they thought as they opened the gym doors, only to hear Sakuragi saying "...Yoko-hime." Then see the people in the gym as still as statues.  
  
~*~  
  
It was quite comical, really. One moment, the day in Shohoku could pass for its every-day happenings... then the next... it's not quite like your everyday life in that school.  
  
Well... the impossible is always possible with Sakuragi Hanamichi around. He made himself redder than the color itself, he stuffed his face with Okonomiyaki as best as he could in five seconds flat... and he made his new best friend blush. Not to mention that he almost made someone faint.  
  
He swallowed the last bit of the okonomiyaki and told Yoko, "That was great, Yoko-chan! Extremely delicious." And sweat dropped.  
  
Shimomura Yoko had never heard anyone address her as "Yoko-hime". Not by her parents... not by her ex-boyfriend... So, naturally, she wouldn't have expected her friend to call her that. But, he did. Her heart raced while her mind was in whirls... and her soul tormented. He acted as if nothing happened at all. But, there was this small hope that maybe he's as troubled with this as she was. Maybe... just maybe. Right now, she'll let him play his game. He's still her friend no matter what, isn't he?  
  
"Thank you, Hana-*chan*." She added a little more emphasis on the 'chan'. He squirmed.  
  
And he guessed he deserved it.  
  
The tension was pretty thick, you'd think that there was an invincible smog in the air. So, Youhei decided to come to the rescue and continued eating. But, always perceptive and the sixth sense of a fighter, he noticed some other presence in the room aside from them. "Oh! Haruko-san! Fujii-san! Matsui-san!" He called out to them.  
  
Fujii and Matsui noticed the slightly building envy in their friend's aura. "Youhei-kun! We thought you guys might've been in here." They said.  
  
"We always eat here." Takamiya shrugged.  
  
"Well, we don't know that, now do we?" Matsui sarcastically informed them.  
  
"Who is she?" Fujii asked them as they approached the six.  
  
"Shimomura Yoko. Nice to meet you." She smiled at them. Matsui and Fujii noticed a small resemblance between her and Haruko. They looked at each other as if to say that they knew why Sakuragi fell for their friend so deeply.  
  
"A pleasure, Yoko-san." Fujii told her. "I am Ayami Fujii."  
  
"And I am Arima Matsui."  
  
They all bowed to each other in greeting.  
  
"How about you, Haruko?" Matsui, to the point, as always, asked her.  
  
"We've met." The girl replied, a bit snippily.  
  
At that point, Sakuragi's mind went into overdrive. What? They met each other already? I hope Yoko is not mad at me. I did not do anything wrong. I hope I didn't do anything wrong. I know I should have told Yoko-hime about Haruko-san, and Haruko-san about Yoko-hime. Wait, I did tell Yoko- hime about Haruko-san. But, not the entire truth. ARGH! I've been referring to her as "hime" again! I cannot embarrass myself like that again. Never ever again! And why does Haruko-san have a bit of an angry tone when she said that she and Yoko-hi... correction Yoko-chan... had met?  
  
Yoko seemed puzzled that Haruko had a little angry note in her voice. And her gaze was smoldering. Yoko just ignored it. It was probably because that the girl is Hana-chan's girlfriend... wait, Hana-chan did not mention if he had any girlfriend. Is he keeping that a secret from her? Just at the thought, her heart tightened in her chest.  
  
At that point and time, Ayako and Kogure entered the gym once more.  
  
"Sakuragi?" Kogure called his teammate.  
  
"Hai, Megane-kun?"  
  
"Ayako had mentioned to me that your gym shoes are almost torn. If you're going to be taking basketball seriously from now own, you must own a pair of basketball shoes. Do you think you can get one preferably before our practice game with Ryonan this Saturday?"  
  
Sakuragi really hadn't put much of a thought about his basketball necessities. He did not know he was supposed to have a different pair of shoes for basketball. What's to expect from a newbie? "I don't know, Megane-kun."  
  
Yoko's eyes bulged out. "Hana-chan! You haven't bought a pair yet? Having a pair of basketball shoes is essential!" She turned to the vice president. "Would it be alright if he gets them after school today and be a little late for practice, Kogure-sempai?"  
  
"Maa, maa. I suppose it would be alright." The upperclassman answered.  
  
"YOKKATA!" Yoko exclaimed while Haruko clenched her fists thinking, 'Who does she think she is?'. At which point, Fujii and Matsui noticed a green aura surrounding their friend and backed away... very slowly.  
  
~*~ After school ~*~  
  
As the bells chimed for the end of classes, Sakuragi had been dragged from his seat and out the room faster than he could blink by an overly excited friend. No need to guess who the girl was.  
  
Yoko had her mind made up. One of those Asics shoes would be perfect. Or maybe the Air Jordan ones. If she had to pay for them, so be it. It's a good thing to save some money and keep some for emergency in her wallet.  
  
No more than ten minutes later, they arrived at the shoe store, where she immediately pulled him to the basketball shoes aisle.  
  
She let go of his hand and eyed each one of the shoes displayed skeptically. The Reebok shoes weren't that bad, as well as the Nike ones... but you're talking about her friend here. He has to get the best pair! And more scrutinizing had commenced.  
  
"Konnichiwa! How may I help you?" The cheerful store owner greeted the two. "Yoko-chan?"  
  
"Ah! Satoshi-tousan! I am looking for the best pair of basketball shoes for my friend. Satoshi-san, meet my friend, Sakuragi Hanamichi." Yoko gestured Sakuragi to the elder. "Hana-chan, meet my godfather, Yoshida Satoshi."  
  
Satoshi snapped his fingers and pointed to his basketball shoe aisle. "Hope you find what you're looking for here!"  
  
Yoko started pulling some pairs out. "What's your size, Hana-chan?"  
  
"28 centimeters."  
  
"Oh really? I am too!" Satoshi commented. "I'll get you some from the back!"  
  
"Thank you, godfather!"  
  
"It's all my pleasure."  
  
Thirty minutes later, one hundred fifty pairs of shoes and ninety sets of basketball outfit later, Hanamichi walked out of the store with a big smile on his face along with Yoko.  
  
The verdict? Ten beaters: two red, two black, two white, two dark blue and two dark green; two pairs of red-white-black Nike wristbands; seven pairs of white socks; five shirts: white, dark blue, red, black and gray; ten pairs of shorts: two white, two black, two red, two dark blue, and two dark green; and ten towels: five white-red, five red-black..  
  
Shoes? Hanamichi ended up with getting the latest pair of the Jordan series for free... courtesy of Yoko's godfather. He was kind enough to give it to him (considering he was wearing it at the time)... with three conditions: Hanamichi takes good care of the shoes, and of Yoko; and that he'd better play well. Lastly, Yoko paid for all of his practice clothes.  
  
How on Earth did Sakuragi get that lucky?  
  
Well. Yoko was busy pulling out shoes for the first five minutes they were there. Then, when Hanamichi tried the first pair she thought that it would be better if he tried some basketball outfit. The next fifteen or so minutes, she had him try on different sorts of outfit... then when done, she had him get into a black shirt and red shorts outfit then had him try on some shoes. The Adidas pair was good... but not good enough. Nike... it was not too shabby, but still not up to par, at least for Yoko. They thought the perfect pair was the latest Asics one. It's black, and had a great transition... even the cushions for jumping were astounding.  
  
"I feel like I'm flying!" Hanamichi childishly exclaimed. He jumped as high as he could possibly do, and accidentally landed on one of Satoshi- san's feet. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean it! Sorry!" He blubbered as Yoko's godfather cried out in pain but waved him off and tended to his precious shoes.  
  
"It is okay, Hanamichi." Satoshi wiped his shoe with his apron for a minute. "Good thing I was wearing it, or I would never have forgiven you if you wrinkled the latest pair of the Jordan series I owned."  
  
"Jordan?" The young red head asked. "Isn't that the cologne that Akagi- sempai wears?"  
  
Yoko giggled and explained. "Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in the United States. Many basketball fans admire him and many companies sponsor his needs. The Jordan series are pairs of shoes that only Michael Jordan may wear... designed to fit his feet specially and very expensive. Those who can afford the special collectors' price get to have them... but they are very rare. Toshi-tousan is one of them. He has the first 9 pairs. Look." She pointed the pairs of shoes in a glass display cabinet right above the cashier counter. "They are all very precious to him." She led him there to check them out.  
  
They were indeed beautiful, different from one another, and more.  
  
"If you would be able to possess any of them, Hanamichi... that would be the perfect pair you'll ever wear." Satoshi-san told the young lad. He handed him a bag with all of their purchases in them and the very pair of shoes he was recently wearing. "I think these will be a perfect fit for you. Go on, try them!"  
  
They did not notice the elderly man ring up the purchase while Hanamichi was trying out the shoes. He was rather dumbfounded at the sacred shoes that were being offered to him to take.  
  
"I'd really like it if these were put to use playing the sport rather than have them worn by an old geezer like me, tending to young players."  
  
Shocked and surprised, both teenagers answered him synchronically, "Thank you very much."  
  
Then Yoko told Sakuragi, "We finally found the perfect pair, Hana-chan!" And then threw her arms around him in glee.  
  
And that brings us to the present. They still have a half hour to make it to practice without being late. They ran all the way, too eager to show everybody the loot they got!  
  
They arrived at the school gates and made a beeline to the lockers, laughing along the way. Neither noticed Haruko calling out to Sakuragi from the gym, not too far from the entrance.  
  
Youhei noticed that Haruko was ignored and had not been surprised. After all, he knew that Sakuragi only fell for her because he was down in the dumps. and she looked somewhat like Yoko.  
  
Youhei smiled. because his best friend is really happy. He didn't have to stick around and play basketball to impress a girl, or her brother.  
  
That's right. Sakuragi does not have to play basketball anymore, if he didn't want to. Because from what it looks like, Yoko likes him the way he is. Playful, determined, and funny.  
  
So. if Sakuragi Hanamichi wants to play basketball, he can. If he wants to do another sport, he can.  
  
After all, Sakuragi Hanamichi is the boss of Sakuragi Hanamichi.  
  
And Youhei is perfectly fine with that.  
  
~*~  
  
As Yoko left Sakuragi to dress up in his new practice clothes, Yoko met up with Ayako who was on her way to change in her manageress outfit.  
  
"Hey Yoko, why don't you change into some gym clothes and help us train? I would be glad to take you in as an assistant manageress for the team! I know it's really sudden, but. I kind of figured that you would be able to handle Hanamichi better than I could. And I heard from Youhei that you taught him lay ups during the weekend." While saying this, Ayako pushed Yoko into the girls' locker room. "I'll tickle you if you don't!"  
  
Yoko giggled happily and told her, "Okay. Alright. I'm going, I'm going." She waved off the tickling hands. "No tickling threat needed!"  
  
~*~  
  
"ONE!" Came the Shohoku captain's booming voice.  
  
"TWO!" Came the expected response of the rest of the Shohoku team.  
  
As usual, for the first ten minutes or so, they would do laps around the gym to work their muscles. First two minutes considered walking then slowly accelerating into a jog for then with a commanding clap, a sprint. Another set of claps would slow them down to a jog. This would go on for about five minutes. Then they would slow down to walk and work it up to sprinting again.  
  
After doing so, they will do some stretches to quickly ready their arms for shooting, passing and guarding. Afterwards, they would work on their legs for an enduring practice of leg work. After all, you need to have great reflexes in any sport in order to react for any sort of movement on the court.  
  
After their twenty-minute warm ups, they did passing drills for five minutes.  
  
When Akagi decided to move the team except Sakuragi on to shooting drills, Yoko made a suggestion. She told them that while the others were bending enough and their passing drill was close to perfect, if they could put a little more foot coordination and passing combination into it. The team has enough for three groups with four members in each.  
  
"It's simple." Yoko said. She got as many basket balls as she could carry. "Hana-chan, Kogure-sempai, Kuwata-san, Sasaoka-kun. you four form group A." She set them aside, handing one ball to Kuwata, and another to Sakuragi. "Satoru-sempai, Kentarou-sempai, Yamazaki-san, and Sakamoto-san. you four form group B." She handed Sakamoto one ball, and Yamazaki another. She retrieved two more balls from the floor. "Group C will be, Rukawa-san, Akagi-sempai, Kakuta-sempai and Yasuharu-san. Now please get into those groups in a square." She gave one ball to Rukawa and Akagi another.  
  
"When you pass the ball to each other, regard what your team mate with the other ball is going to do. You may pass the ball to someone who's holding the ball, or someone who's not holding the ball. but please, be prepared to react on any circumstances. Think of this as a dance." Yoko waved Ayako over. "Let us demonstrate." She quickly retrieved a ball. "Ayako-sempai, let's do the normal pass sets. bounce pass, and chest pass combination."  
  
The two proceeded into passing. One would bounce pass, and the other chest pass. then switch techniques and the back again. "That's the normal routine. Hana-chan. and Kogure-sempai, would you please help us around this time? Hana-chan, would you pass the ball to Ayako-sempai? Kogure- sempai please be ready to catch my ball. Then Ayako-sempai, would you pass the ball to me, and Kogure-sempai please pass the ball to Hana-chan. Please don't forget to jog in clockwise motion for the first pass, then counter clockwise the next."  
  
They started the somewhat complicated turn of passes. Yoko watched Sakuragi at the corner of her eye and saw he was going to use chest pass and decided to use the bounce pass. The balls formed a cross as they passed, one in the air and one connecting with the floor. They switched directions, going to counterclockwise order of a somewhat circle motion and passed the ball behind one another.  
  
Yoko turned to the observant team. "Do you get it? You must somehow communicate with your group, letting one person know where the ball will go. The hard part is later, when the groups will somehow intertwine with another. Half of group A with half of group B, half of group B with half of group C. and half of group C with half of group A. But first, start with the simplest form of this drill.  
  
"Before I forget, you must have noticed the first round of the demonstration when I bounce passed the ball to Kogure-sempai while Hana- chan chest passed the ball to Ayako-sempai. Please, be sure to observe your teammate. This technique will come in handy when faking, or playmaking. It doesn't matter if you're the point guard or not, but always be flexible with your abilities. Any questions?"  
  
Nobody raised their hands. They seemed quite interested in starting out this new practice drill.  
  
She grinned excitedly, and yelled, "BEGIN!"  
  
And so, the awkward dancing began.  
  
~*~  
  
About twenty minutes full of laughter later, Akagi called for shooting drills. He loved the passing drill that Yoko introduced to the team. He nodded at her, openly complimenting her job well done, and Ayako smiled and told her she did great.  
  
The first of the shooting drills was lay ups. Every shot that Sakuragi made got in. Yoko giving him a few cheers here and there, for she was too busy surveying the potential Shohoku has as a strong team. He didn't mind, especially after her  
  
Haruko was at the entrance, ready to cheer on Sakuragi who had incredibly improved over the weekend. Every time he made a shot, she would be ready with a "Nice shot, Sakuragi-kun!" Once, he turned around and said his thanks with a smile. Only once. He was too busy concentrating on his game. and a little on Yoko. She looked like an angel in her gym clothes. and her legs seem so much longer than a regular freshman in high school.  
  
Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he continued making shots, never noticing Rukawa silently commending him.  
  
Rukawa Kaede is a rather shady character. He would goad Sakuragi in doing the right thing at the right time. but no one seems to realize it. It's like that time. when they were at the Takezono game. Sakuragi kept on chasing the darn ball out of bounds. To other people, he was making a fool out of himself. But to him, Akagi, Kogure, Coach Anzai, Ayako and Rukawa, he was actually this newbie who wants to win. who wants the ball in the net as much as possible.  
  
No one really knows Rukawa Kaede. not even Tendou Ayako who seemed to know him the most.  
  
He's an enigma.  
  
Rukawa continued to observe Sakuragi as the guy shot his 37th shot. This time, he didn't make it.  
  
But who can blame him? He had too much of Yoko in his mind.  
  
Shaking his head, Rukawa went up himself and made his usual perfect shot with a perfect form without giving Sakuragi the time to grab his ball and go back in line. When he landed he bumped into Sakuragi.  
  
Sakuragi was ready to scream bloody murder when he suddenly stopped for a moment to think. What has Rukawa ever done to me? A squabble because Haruko has unrequited love for him? Even if he didn't know. or even if he DID know, he obviously didn't like the girl and have not a clue how to turn down a girl.  
  
Actually, Yoko's voice ran through his head telling him about being a better person.  
  
"Oi, Rukawa. couldn't you have waited until I got out of the way?"  
  
At first, Rukawa was about to 'face fault' because of the sudden change. Then he decided to grow up just like the other guy is doing and kept his composure and replied. "Your body should have moved faster. You released the ball too quickly, and didn't adjust your hand's position so the ball would go in even if your body is angled that way. Try to control the force or angle of the way you release the ball if you are going to shoot it faster than the highest point of your jump."  
  
They jogged over to the other side of the court as they retrieved some balls.  
  
Rukawa sped up so he could get the first shot. He told Sakuragi, "Watch." He imitated Sakuragi's position, power and release from before. When the ball didn't make it, he quickly retrieved the ball. "This time, watch carefully and imbed it into your mind." Rukawa ran up to the ring, jumped and before reaching halfway his jump capability, he released the ball, slightly tilting the hand to the right, arm outstretched and gently pushing the ball in. As he landed on the gym floor, he told Sakuragi. "If you plan on releasing the ball earlier than you do, remember to put a little power on your tilted hand. If you plan on releasing the ball, later than you do, remember to put it in as gently as you can... always try to use your full body when making a shot, though. It's the basic thing to do for every single technique in this sport."  
  
Yoko smiled. She was ready to point out to Sakuragi what he did wrong, but somebody beat her to it. Her smile widened when Sakuragi did two lay ups, one just like how Rukawa did it, and the other releasing it at the highest point. and made both in.  
  
Rukawa nodded at Sakuragi, telling him that he did the shots correctly.  
  
Akagi was busy dealing with other freshmen and sophomores on the team, so he barely noticed. He was slightly shocked that no fight had erupted between the two, though. Nevertheless, he welcomed it.  
  
Ayako definitely noticed and although shocked, she blew the whistle. "Time for a scrimmage! Freshmen, Kentarou and Saotoru versus the rest of the sophomores and juniors! Sakuragi, do your drills."  
  
Everybody did what she said and she got another shock from Sakuragi. he did exactly what she wanted him to do without complaining at all.  
  
He went to his corner with a ball and started dribbling. He lowered his body with his knees bent forward forming a right angle and arms parallel to the wall with his back straight. All through out the scrimmage, he just ran a critical eye at the way his team (the one with the freshmen) and throwing actual useful comments around albeit a little brash. He would also switch hands every two and a half minutes - while Yoko timed him as she also watched the game.  
  
All in all it was a good practice and that's how Anzai-sensei found them when he arrived.  
  
"Ho. ho. ho." He began. "All of you are doing very well. Sakuragi-kun, you have an excellent dribbling posture. Ayako-san, don't you think it's time for him to apply his drills into the game itself and join the others?" Then it seemed that he noticed the newest member of Shohoku. "Ah, and who is this young lady?"  
  
"My name is Yoko. Shimomura Yoko. I transferred from Takezono High and re- enrolled in Shohoku. Class 1-7." She bowed politely then assumed a relaxed stance.  
  
"I made her my assistant, Sensei. I hope that I did not offend you by not clearing it out with you first."  
  
"Ho. ho. ho." The old man chuckled. "That is fine. Now, have you done the upperclassmen versus underclassmen scrimmage?"  
  
"We just finished, Sensei." Akagi answered him.  
  
"Ah. Then form two teams. Remember in what order I mention your name. It will be the same as your position. Akagi-kun, Sakuragi-kun, Kogure-kun, Rukawa-kun and Sakamoto-kun would be team A. Kuwata-kun, Satoru-kun, Yasuhara-kun, Kentarou-kun and Yamazaki-kun you form team B. Positions are as follows. Center, power forward, point guard, small forward and shooting guard. Team A would be on my right side, and B on my left. Minumura-kun, you shall be the referee."  
  
All nodded at his directions and went off to their side.  
  
"Sakuragi, I want you to try a jump ball." Akagi told the red head. He signaled a time out to the Coach, and instructed Sakuragi on how to do it. "Position yourself here, inside this part of the circle. As if you're going to do a slam dunk, even a lay up, bend your knees that are slightly apart, and get ready to jump as high as you can. The only difference here is you have to do it without getting a running start." As he explained, he went through with the motions, finally ending by straightening up.  
  
The freshman nodded, soaking up all the information. He assumed the stance, as Akagi directed him to and impressed everyone on the court. He nailed the exact posture Akagi did.  
  
Nodding, Akagi said, "Perfect. Another thing to remember, is that you have to be comfortable in your position and get maximum jump power. Last thing is that you jump when the ball has reached its peak - when it starts to descend and slap it toward a teammate who is open to grab it. Never touch the ball before it reaches the peak"  
  
"Okay!" Sakuragi felt around for a comfortable position, adjusting a little and then straightened. "Got it. Ready."  
  
The captain went to his position. "Okay, Kuwata. Thank you."  
  
Nodding, the chinky eyed boy went opposite Sakuragi.  
  
"Jump ball!" Minumura announced, bringing the ball into the center. Both jumpers assumed their position. And the ball was released.  
  
Faster than the eye could blink, Sakuragi went after it.  
  
"BAKA!" Many from the opposite team told him. He would never get it. He jumped too soon.  
  
"Hana-chan!" Yoko cried from the sidelines. 'He must have not gotten the last bit of information.  
  
It just reached its peak, fell and would have descended more than two inches about a millisecond later when Sakuragi met it head on, eyeing for an open teammate. Unfortunately for all of them, they were too busy insulting Sakuragi about his impulse that no one was alert. Except for Rukawa. He smacked it toward the other guy's outstretched hand and landed dashing alongside the other guy.  
  
Both raced through the net, Rukawa making the first shot with a lay up.  
  
Ayako dropped her paper fan and pen. 'Whoa. What was that?! He jumped so high!'  
  
"Are?" Yoko said, bewildered. All of the sudden the Sakuragi Guntai exclaimed from the sidelines, "That's Hanamichi with his incredible jumping power!"  
  
"Sugoi Sakuragi!"  
  
Akagi shook his head. 'I have to admit. That kid is not like any other I've taught.'  
  
Sakuragi held out a hand to Rukawa. "High five, Rookie!"  
  
The black haired guy looked at the hand, and amazingly slapped it with his own. "Thanks. Go for the defense. Hands up, and get into a good position to not allow your mark to pass or shoot the ball. No hand or body part contact." He coached the red head.  
  
"I know. I've seen you do it. I've been taught how to do it."  
  
He proved it with his actions and amazed Rukawa as well as those watching from the sidelines.  
  
He guarded the other team's point guard, even while not knowing it. He saw him coming with the ball, charged right through, and gave the other guy no breathing space. He felt the ball's movement, not the other guy's actions and eyes, as more experienced players would have done. This raw ability gave Sakuragi the edge he needed over this player.  
  
Yasuhara sweated as he tried to shake off Sakuragi. Then he saw Yamazaki break off from Kogure while the others zoned off Akagi from the key and felt that Yamazaki has a chance at doing an alley oop. Yasuhara passed higher than the jump ball toss ... but found out it didn't work because Sakuragi followed the move and intercepted and therefore stole the ball.  
  
He dribbled down the court, outrunning everybody with his speed. Having no one to pass it to, he made a swift dunk for a sure shot and quickly got back to defend, not stopping for self praise.  
  
'He jumps high, and he dashes swiftly that my eyes can't catch up.' Yasuhara thought. 'This kid's going to be a menace who knows when! He only started last week, and he is terrifying right now, who knows what he'll be by the end of this week!'  
  
Ayako looked on the scene with wide eyes. 'The only fast person I can think of is Ryota. He has been playing since middle school. Sakuragi Hanamichi... not even two minutes into the game and two weeks in training and you've done what Ryota has done during our freshman year!'  
  
Yoko whooped and said, "Great dunk, Hana-chan!"  
  
Haruko also cheered and said, "Great shot, Sakuragi-kun!"  
  
"That kid..." Akagi and Kogure broke off. Each marveled over his defense and steal. The latter's eyes shone with energy and thought, 'We can reach the Inter High this year, Akagi.'  
  
Coach Anzai watched with amusement and admiration. 'What a good player.'  
  
Fujii and Matsui looked on then looked at each other, the same thought entering their minds, "Just what in the world did that girl do to him?" They both voiced out to each other.  
  
Rukawa also thought of the same thing. He smiled inside, and kept his usual face. 'So I was not the only one to notice that detail.' This time, he was the one who held out a hand, which the red head slapped back. "Don't let one success get to your head. Keep defending, and keep attacking, Doaho." He muttered in his usual high and mighty self.  
  
This time, Sakuragi did not see it as an insult but a nickname. Not a big deal. He has one too!. "Sure thing, Kitsune. You better keep your end of the bargain."  
  
The first half of the game consisted of offense from Kogure, Akagi, and Rukawa while Sakuragi kept defending and stole balls. Rukawa gave shooting his all. When he was double teamed, it wasn't enough. When they guarded the key, he either passed it to Kogure to shoot from the outside, or got the big captain to shoot it from his place. All in all, the other team could not afford doing anything beside mark to mark.  
  
The thing that really shot down most of the upperclassmen on the other team is that they had not point guard; considering he was marked by Sakuragi. There was no member who can play back up, unlike Rukawa and Kogure on team A.  
  
During the half time, Yasuhara went up to Sakuragi. "You are really great, you know that? You are giving me a difficult time." He wiped his sweat and drank some water while breathing really heavily. "No one has tired me out like this before."  
  
The score was an unflattering 59 to 4, in favor of team A, of course.  
  
Ayako and Yoko also came over to pat Sakuragi, "You're doing a great job!" The former commented. "I think your shoes are doing its job." She teased.  
  
The latter was the one who reacted, "It's all Sakuragi's hard work. The past weekend, he did nothing but practice. Yesterday, he woke me up at six o'clock, excited to learn how to defend more!"  
  
Ayako raised her hands. "I was kidding."  
  
Sakuragi laughed. "Nyahahahahah. Of course I'm doing great! I am a tensai! And I have a great instructor and trainer!"  
  
"WHAT?! Do you mean I was not teaching you right?"  
  
This time the Gundan quipped:  
  
Youhei and Takamiya - "Sister, weren't you just joking before?"  
  
Noma - "Sakuragi is just playing around."  
  
Ookusu - "He didn't mean anything by it!"  
  
Everybody face faulted. 'How did they get into the conversation?'  
  
Coach Anzai clapped his hands, and Akagi shouted, "Assemble!"  
  
Everybody lined up.  
  
"Akagi-captain," Sakuragi started giving everybody a shock, "Is the game over? Isn't there second half?"  
  
"Ho, ho, ho!" Coach Anzai said. "Simply new team formation. I want Yasuhara-kun and Kuwata-kun to switch with Akagi-kun and Kogure-kun. I want you, Sakuragi-kun, to mark Akagi-kun; and vice versa. The rest of you may mark whomever you want. Now begin the second half."  
  
They jogged over to the center with Akagi and Sakuragi facing off.  
  
"Jump ball!" Minumura announced, readying the ball. As soon as both jumpers nodded for him to start, he tossed it.  
  
This time, Sakuragi waited a second later than when he jumped in the first half. Akagi matched him, and being the taller guy, drew a little higher than Sakuragi.  
  
No one expected the two to draw equally when they touched the ball. Not even the red head.  
  
"They are even!" Many exclaimed from the sidelines. As time went on in the first half, a new and young gym teacher saw the last five minutes and called people from the school to watch the second half during the halftime. As a result, the team now had an audience.  
  
This was unknown to the players on the court, and acting on pure instinct and adrenaline, Sakuragi did not waste time boggling over the tie and put a burst of power to overthrow the captain's hand.  
  
He succeeded but gave it to Kogure, whom he forgot to have switched teams as well. A flash of his old self began to surface when he started to whine.  
  
"Hana-chan/Sakuragi don't mind!" Both Yoko and Ayako said. The younger girl went on to say, "Defend!"  
  
That saved the red head and dashed over to the key, getting ready for Akagi. For the next five minutes, Akagi managed to score against Sakuragi, who wasn't experienced enough for Akagi's level of play, or so they thought.  
  
Glancing at Coach Anzai, Ayako and Yoko both discussed, "So this is why Anzai-sensei switched them."  
  
However, during those five minutes, Rukawa countered, challenging the captain as well. And the game went on with 67 to 42, favor of team A from its lead in the first half. It was quite harder to make shots with Akagi in the key, and harder to defend with three shooters on the other team.  
  
With 14 minutes and 45 seconds left to play, Sakuragi unceremoniously slipped on an untied shoelace, letting go of the ball and out of bounds. Rukawa uncharacteristically called a timeout, and dragged Sakuragi by the ear, knowing he wasn't badly hurt, to a spot a little ways from the main bench where everybody decided to crash.  
  
"That hurts, Kitsune!" Sakuragi told him, getting angry. "What is wrong with you?"  
  
Rukawa looked at him blankly. "You did not adjust your defending skills to Akagi's stature. The former point guard's and that new girl's size are somewhat the same. You have to adjust to every little thing in any sport. When you shoot whether a lay up, a dunk, a jump shot, free throw or a three point - you adjust. When you play offense you adjust to the one defending you. When you defend, you adjust to the person you are defending."  
  
The red head got it. "Okay. But you didn't have to grab me by the ear!" He bent down to tie his untied shoelace. He forgot to tuck it in.  
  
Rukawa shrugged. "Sorry. Now, I think you're also ready for offense. I'll bait them, be ready for assisting or return. If Akagi shuts you down, he also shuts me down."  
  
So there was an ulterior motive here. Because the captain marked Sakuragi perfectly, there was no way that Rukawa could penetrate.  
  
"Position your body in front of Akagi when you're in the key. If you know how to fake, do it."  
  
"Yoko-chan tried to teach me fake motion yesterday. But she did not know enough."  
  
Sighing, he fired this explanation, "Basically, elude the defender with a little eye contact leading him far away from where you don't plan to go or with a betraying action; say, passing. Circumstance one: You see me at the corner of your right eye, asking for the ball. You quickly look at your left, and see Yasuhara also capable of going for the ball. Force your way in to the right; so your left will be free. But, Akagi will anticipate, that so you hold that ball, motioning a pass, once he takes off to that direction and is HALFWAY getting there, pass it to the right. That's a fake. You used the passing technique. Are you following?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Now, circumstance two: You are near the net. You can go for a jump shot, or at least getting the ball up there. Assume the pose and jump low, then when he follows, either pass to someone free, or dribble it back and shoot it for real. Circumstance three: You have no one near you, but you can make a pass to me, at you left. Position your body in front of Akagi, and make sure he can't see me. Flick your eye both sides, and make it widen just a little when you look at the right. Then do another fake pass; hold the ball with two hands, as if you're going for a bounce pass to the right, then quickly back your body up, assisting a little toss from the right hand from the right side and to the left hand to push the ball down to me. You get it? These are only assumptions."  
  
"Got it, Kitsune."  
  
"Okay, then, next: If you have the ball, elude Akagi - "  
  
"Sempai, or captain."  
  
"Fine, Akagi-captain. Then assist me. If I have the ball, run for your life and confuse him, he'll be forced to follow you around. Be ready for either an assist or a pass. If he catches up, don't hesitate for a return pass to me. That's all."  
  
"Okay." Sakuragi said, then remembered something else as they jogged back to the others. "Can we try an alley oop?"  
  
Rukawa snorted. "We'll see."  
  
"Oh, and Kitsune? Don't grab me by the ear again? A small and simple smack will do just fine."  
  
"Yare yare." Both headed to where the captain, the coach, the co captain, and the two manageresses were at.  
  
Then, Sakuragi had an idea. "Can't I just wear him out with running?"  
  
"You can try, but then; how can I penetrate the defense. Our fellow freshmen on the other team are actually good with defense."  
  
"Oh. Hold your end of the bargain, Kitsune." Then he made a beeline for Yoko with his towel and a new and cold refreshment in her hands.  
  
"Yare yare."  
  
~*~ While Sakuragi and Rukawa conspired against Akagi. ~*~  
  
"Coach, is this why you changed members?" Akagi questioned the coach. "To suppress Sakuragi?"  
  
"Quite. It was also to bring out his error when defending you. As you most likely picked up on, he had not been defending you as you should have been defended." He replied. "I do not know how else to make it known and correct it."  
  
"Sou ka!" Yoko commented. "I forgot to tell him to analyze a player's movements according to his size! He had perfect molded his defense and offense to someone of my stature that he could easily defend and surpass Yasuhara-sempai!"  
  
"Ho, ho, ho. You taught him how to defend?"  
  
"Yes, coach, I did."  
  
"Where did you learn basketball?"  
  
"I used to play it with a. friend from the Takezono basketball team. I searched books for the terms and applied the actions by actually taking up the sport myself and helped him train."  
  
"Ah, that's good."  
  
"You did a very astounding job." Akagi said, wiping some sweat and drinking water. "Have you taught him how to get rebounds? It does come with defending."  
  
"I don't know much about rebounding. I mean, I could tell him to get to a place near the ring and jump for the ball, but I don't know how exactly to explain that there will be lots of people in the key to get the ball and how to get a good position."  
  
Kogure chuckled. "Well, Akagi can teach him that. You've really done a wonderful job."  
  
Ayako slung an arm around her, waving her paper fan. "I really made a great decision, recruiting you here! You helped me so much. He is so energetic! You know, he nearly quit because of a little disagreement when I had him do dribbling drills during his first practice? Well. The kid has got to know basics! But, I saw how he had quickly applied his dribbling drills into playing; and a little more than that. You are really great - you taught him crossovers and backside dribbling!"  
  
Yoko blushed at the praise but refused to hog the credit. "Thank you. But it was his will and want to learn how to play that gave me the power to teach him this fast. Without them, he wouldn't have been like this."  
  
"I think it is also the fact that he wanted to surpass Rukawa." Ayako commented. Before she continued, Youhei heard the comment and motioned from behind Yoko for Ayako to stop. Eyes wide he started mouthing, "Don't tell her! There will be hell to pay!" She continued her last thought. "It is actually amazing to see that there hasn't been any fights."  
  
Yoko found it odd. "Why?"  
  
The Guntai found this situation priceless but didn't want to hurt anybody. Ookusu rescued first, "Have you seen Rukawa play? You don't really know how competitive Sakuragi is!"  
  
"Sou, sou!" Takamiya and Noma chorused.  
  
Laughing, Yoko said, "Oh yes. A lot of guys are like that."  
  
Then, she was startled when some one plucked the water bottle and towel in her hands. She was ready to yell at the person that it was for Sakuragi when she saw the red head himself. "Oh, Hana-chan!"  
  
"Arigato, Yo-chan!" Sakuragi grinned cheekily. He downed the water in two seconds and returned to the court. "Come on you amateurs! Get ready for an ass kicking session!" Then he noticed the number of people at the sides of the gym. "Nani? When did these people come in here?"  
  
Akagi frowned at the amateurs and set his towel and bottle aside. "What do you mean by amateurs, baka?!"  
  
Kogure said, "Don't mind, Akagi." The co captain slapped his teammate's derriere. "Let's play." Then he jogged over to Sakuragi. "The people probably came in during the start of this half. Don't mind them, though. Just continue with doing a good job."  
  
It was team B's offense from the side.  
  
Over by the bench, just before everybody took their rightful places, Ayako and Yoko nervously gulped. When Youhei asked what was wrong, Ayako replied, "If team B makes another shot, it will make team A lose their morale no matter how much they are leading right now."  
  
Yoko also said, "If that happens, they could lose because they would give up. If Rukawa-kun takes on Akagi-captain all the time and keeps on retaliating without anyone to back him, he would lose stamina. It is important that they stop another ball from getting in."  
  
The three plus the rest of Sakuragi Gundan resumed watching.  
  
Akagi, being Sakuragi's defender, took the ball from Minumura to start the game once more. He passed it to Kogure.  
  
He then dribbled the ball down the court with Rukawa giving him space - for now.  
  
"Let's get one in!" He announced. 'It's time for a little play making.' He thought. He checked Akagi and was not surprised to see that while Sakuragi hasn't got used to guarding him, he at least wasn't as inexperienced looking as before. 'This is going to get tough, now.'  
  
Then, Akagi caught his eye. With the briefest inclination of the head, he gave Kogure affirmation to his claim from before. They were going to get one in. With his eyes, he said, "I can get pass this kid."  
  
So the basketball dance started.  
  
Kogure commenced as offensive play, marked closely by Rukawa. Then, when he succeeded in making a turn around, he passed the ball with all his might to a dashing Akagi.  
  
The captain then led the offense, catching Kogure's eyes, blinking twice and receiving a blink back.  
  
Rukawa, against his better judgment, formed a zone defense on Akagi as Yasuhara motioned him to do.  
  
Sakuragi concentrated on his game. He had come this far now, he won't lose to the senior. It's his pride and reputation on the line.  
  
Akagi leapt, and hurled the ball, with power people rarely see, to Kogure. Then, the recipient started dribbling towards the somewhat free net. Yasuhara and Rukawa moved to their original positions, leaving Akagi pretty much open. Kogure put his whole body into one dribble, letting it bounce high towards the net.  
  
Akagi raced to the net, jumping off to get the free ball.  
  
"OOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!" The whole crowed exclaimed, excited to see the following move.  
  
"Alley oop!" One called out, already knowing what will be seen.  
  
Then, when Akagi was just an inch away from the ball, somebody took it from the air, jumping high and descending quickly.  
  
"SAKURAGI!" Ayako, Yoko, Youhei, the Gundan, Haruko, Fujii and Matsui all exclaimed.  
  
It was indeed the red head. He quickly dribbled the ball toward the other side of the court with speed no one except his friends and Yoko knew of.  
  
"Go! Go! Go!" They all cheered from the sidelines. Everybody was up on their feet. They have never seen such an interception before! A complete turnover!  
  
It looked like Sakuragi was going for a breakthrough when Akagi appeared in front of him, not wanting to be outdone. He came to a stop, dribbled the ball and started to charge at Akagi. The older player took a step back to brace him when the younger player drew back and passed to the side without even looking.  
  
Rukawa! The thought entered his mind. With the three of them on that one side, 2 on 1, he made to guard Rukawa as well. It didn't matter.  
  
He was outnumbered and Sakuragi dashed towards the net, just like how Akagi did, only faster than anyone could have imagined. And Rukawa released the ball sending it to the boards. Sakuragi jumped, followed the ball through, and dunked it in. He let the ring absorb his momentum then let go and jogged back to the other side for defense, smirking at Akagi.  
  
The player only shook his head and figured that this will be a practice that wouldn't be forgotten in the Shohoku basketball history. "Ikusho!" He cried, and they all continued.  
  
Coach Anzai adjusted his glasses. "Ahhh, much better."  
  
Ayako and Yoko just looked at him in amazement. They also admired Sakuragi and Rukawa's double team strategy.  
  
A week ago, hell even two weeks ago, when Sakuragi first got started. he and Rukawa were both playing selfishly. They didn't trust one another's playing abilities. They didn't trust each other. Period.  
  
But now.  
  
As the minutes of the game rolled by, Sakuragi defended or stole each ball that Akagi laid his hands on. He guarded him so tight the other side really did not have the option to give the ball to Akagi. He also used his Hun Hun Defense when Kogure and Akagi tried to do another double team in which Kogure was to do a three point shot.  
  
Rukawa was ready to receive the ball after the times he stole the ball and shoot it in.  
  
The game was to have its conclusion in thirty seconds, with 125 for team A and 52 for B.  
  
Rukawa and Sakuragi continued with their merciless streak, attacking full force while defending. Yasuhara managed a steal from Satoshi, a freshman. He looked around for someone to pass it to when he saw two high posts running down already and passed it to Rukawa who was the one nearer to his passing range.  
  
They've all seen this five minutes or so ago. Rukawa and Sakuragi raced down the court, two high posts that Akagi will not be able to stop, nor any of the other less experienced players. The very first one was a return pass to Rukawa. So everybody assumed that the game will end by a dunk by Rukawa.  
  
What they didn't expect or notice is a mischievous glint that Rukawa sent Sakuragi. As they ran, he said in his impassive tone, "Yo, let's dunk this."  
  
And Sakuragi knew what he meant. Akagi moved to guard Rukawa and he passed to Sakuragi, when Akagi realized it was too late to switch or to move and block Sakuragi, he and the others watched as Sakuragi jumped in the air just as the captain turned around. Then, all were confused when Rukawa also moved pass Akagi and jumped as well. They were synchronized in speed, and jump height. Then Rukawa put his hands to the ball and both slammed it in the net.  
  
"SUGOI!!!!!!!" Everybody exclaimed after a few minutes when the shock sunk in. The two just dunked the ball. together!  
  
They were both holding onto the ring then jumped back down to the gym floor. Both wiped their sweat with their t-shirt. Minumura blew the whistle.  
  
Team A won, 127-52.  
  
Coach Anzai fixed his glasses and commented offhandedly to his two manageresses, "They are the perfect duo I always thought they were. From the start, I knew these two could do terrific things on the court; as long as they worked together."  
  
Ayako simply nodded in agreement. "Thanks to Yoko here for taming Sakuragi. You also have a perfect pair of manageresses!"  
  
Yoko blushed. "Aiyaaa!" She really couldn't take all of these huge compliments.  
  
Akagi Haruko fumed at the side as the 'little witch weasel' as she put it, claimed every body's affection. Fujii and Matsui left her on her own as they joined the Sakuragi Gundan as they went up to Sakuragi, telling him he was really good.  
  
"How did you do it?" Kogure asked him, sweating profusely from the game. "How did you learn the stuff you did in such a short time?"  
  
"I'm a tensai! I learn things quickly." Well, old habits die hard. However, he also added this, "Also, it's the shoes." He showed them his Air Jordan shoes. "The perfect shoes."  
  
Rukawa appeared out of nowhere, shaking his head and sighing, "Doaho." Then disappeared.  
  
"Nani? RUKAWA!" Sakuragi screamed deafeningly. But, no typical fight ensued.  
  
Wait. Sakuragi took his towel and knotted it until the point that it became a small ball. Then. he flung it at Rukawa. "Doaho-dayo!" It hit him on the head.  
  
He flung it back. "That stinks, doaho!"  
  
Growling, Sakuragi pounded Rukawa, who fought back. "Don't call me a doaho, kitsune!"  
  
POW!  
  
"I'll call you whatever you want, doaho."  
  
BANG!  
  
The people in the gym just looked on.  
  
Oh well. at least practices won't be boring, because the perfect pair of lunatics is in the house!  
  
Thank you so much for all those who reviewed and those who are waiting. I really appreciate it.  
  
Wowie: I should write a fic about Fujii and Sakuragi. I noticed that a little too late! ( Oh, and did you notice I refrained from the whole interruptions thing. I noticed it was annoying after a week. lol. I dedicate not having them to you. I love your fic, btw. I just read it, and well, I had to finish uploading this first. I'll review soon. I know what you mean about no girl can match up with Sakuragi or Rukawa. I hope you'll like how I paired them up instead. Thanks for the review! And I hope I didn't lose you because I haven't updated in so long!  
  
sLL: I really love your compliments. Thank you soooo much. Oh, yeah. episode 33: "Sakuragi, Foul Out King?" .. Ugh, I hated her! That was so low. Well, I took care of his defense now.  
  
nothingtodo: Uhhh, gomen? I kinda dropped off the face of the earth here.. I kinda admit that I haven't been in the fandom for so long. Heheh. I had to rewrite this whole chapter. Don't worry, I dedicated that last bit just for you. There will be some fights. I know I wanted to keep this really in check with the series, but I needed Sakuragi to mature a bit sooner. Just a bit earlier. Okay, make that a whole lot. I hope you loved the chapter, anyway! Uhmm, Rukawa stories? Lost in the recesses of my mind. and old computer which crashed. Don't worry, I'll do them soon! Oh, you tried to be like me? Heheheh. you got to beat this chapter, then. around 12,700 words. Heheheheh. Just playing. Thank you!  
  
Fiery-Eyes: Sorry. I know I said week. But I had really bad luck. Comp virus + had to work for a new comp = no chapter. I was not really working, more like saving allowance, which is kind of hard. So I am really sorry. I dedicate the length of this chapter to you, and hope you like it as well. No, I am not a basketball expert; however - guess what? I am now just like Ayako in my school, except that I only have to jot down statistics; and it's for the girls' team. The boys' absolutely suck. Thank you for reviewing.  
  
Kookie: ATE! I know, I know. I am sooooo horrible. I even hid from you! AHHH! Ako ay napakaengot! Sorry? Thanks for the review. I hope you noticed I really laid that special treatment hard on you-know-who! Just for you. okay, well. for me and other con-Haruko's out there as well.. Aiyaaa. I know, I am terrible! I uploaded some of the stuff on my username, and renamed myself when I go to my cousin's house for parties. However, even I cannot get enough writing time for a lot of my stories then. People always barge in the comp room, and I just get frustrated.  
  
Maemi: thanks. I think she should die too. I hope you like this one. ;)  
  
Kurai Mayakashi Kitana/Sendoh-sama/SoE: Well, I wrote and I.. reeeeeaaaally wrote. I hope this made up for all those months. I wonder what should happen next? Oh.. Kitana???? Hmmm.. What is that all about? 


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